It's no secret that the things we do and say online leave behind trails of personal information. While Internet users may understand that sharing personal information on the Web puts their online privacy at risk, the threat can be vague and difficult to describe, leaving Americans in the dark about how exactly their online behaviors are tracked and recorded.

The reality is that rapid technological advances and the lack of an updated privacy law have resulted in a system where Americans are routinely and systematically tracked as they surf the internet. There is a lot of money to be made from watching what consumers do online, and what it says about who they are, and there are plenty of companies who will pay big for this information. Unfortunately, some businesses will chase those profits even when it violates consumers’ expectations of privacy.