FYI.

This story is over 5 years old.

Music

Would You Share Your Browser History to Win Sweet Prizes?

Big Data and Rajeev Basu's Chrome extension dives into your web activity to unearth juicy content and websites you might be ashamed of.

There's a spoof emergency medical bracelet a Redditor made a few years back that says, "Delete My Browser History." It's a fun gift idea but it also touches upon a sore subject—the fact that not all of our web surfing activity is the kind we want to share. It's also a from a pre-Snowden world in which we once believed our online activity was private.

A mischievous new Chrome app from electronic band Big Data and artist Rajeev Basu toys with these ideas of privacy erosion and how they relate to our daily rambles in cyberspace. It's been launched to promote Big Data's new album 2.0 and takes inspiration from their song "The Business of Emotion (ft ​White Sea)" which was about the Facebook emotion-controlling experiments.

Advertisement

Known as Nice 2 Hack You, the app uses a custom algorithm to access your browsing history, diving in for some juicy morsels of embarrassing content that you've been looking at, which it will then turn into an infographic. Then, you can either choose to share the graphic on social media, entered into the running for the chance to win Big Data-related prizes, or delete it in a fit of shame-rage, shut down your computer, and head into the woods for Walden 2.0+.

A sample image of what your infographic might look like.

"It learns to target and prioritize what it uncovers, so we can surface the most uncomfortable results for every user," Basu explains to The Creators Project. "The things it looks for in your browser history are not always 'extreme things.' When you think about it, there is actually a wide spectrum of things people do online that they would probably rather keep to themselves. Like the fact they are on three dating sites, or how often they have looked up Kim Kardashian’s ass, or the fact that they listen to Britney Spears when no one is looking."

The infographic will also note if you've been on Fox News recently, how many hours you've spent on social media, and will tell you what percentage of your activity involved any of the 370 keywords that flag you up to the NSA.

"We think of our online behavior as this extremely personal and secretive experience," notes Big Data, "Despite the fact that our every click is being recorded, tracked, and monitored. By playfully and willingly revealing some of those private moments through Nice 2 Hack You, we hope the viewer can feel empowered by it."

Advertisement

The question is: dare you share?

Try out the app here. And you can listen to Big Data's album 2.0 on Spotify or iTunes.

Related:

Should Artists Be Able to Sell Their Facebook Passwords on eBay?

BitchCoin Is a New Cryptocurrency for Art

Instagram Viz Project Lets You Catch the Sunrise All Over the World