MyOffrz – Part 3: How does the tech behind MyOffrz actually work?
We examine the following questions in the third part of our blog series: How does MyOffrz identify potential purchase intentions, how does it determine whether offers are relevant and what technical measures protect the user’s anonymity and privacy?
While in the first part of our blog series on MyOffrz we provided a basic outline of our business model and, in the second part, discussed in greater detail how MyOffrz aligns targeted offers with consistent data privacy and protection, in the third part we look more closely at the underlying technology.
How does MyOffrz identify potential purchase intent?
The technology behind MyOffrz is a part of the Cliqz Browser and works solely on the user’s device. Among other things, it analyzes which websites the user visits and what the user has searched previously for on the Internet. This provides the basis for determining potential purchase intent. MyOffrz doesn’t send any information whatsoever to a server that identifies individual users. Instead, it sends out only anonymous and purely statistical data. We will address this in greater detail below.
How does MyOffrz determine the relevance of offers?
Campaigns developed in collaboration with our business clients are always tied to particular trigger rules. This means that various rules (e.g. when, then, and, or, not at all) are used to define specific requirements that must be met before a relevant offer is displayed in a user’s browser. The entire process of verifying the extent to which the governing requirements have been met is also carried out locally on the device itself – nowhere else.
All offers are sent in advance to all available browsers and add-ons, where they remain in the background until they are called up. The right offer is activated and displayed in the browser at the right moment only when the user’s behavior corresponds to the previously defined trigger rules and other additional requirements. Doing a search or visiting a particular website, for example, could be triggers. This is how MyOffrz ensures that users only get to see offers that really interest them and provide them with real added value – all without jeopardizing the user’s privacy.
A privacy-by-design architecture guaranteeing anonymity and privacy
The Cliqz technology at the heart of MyOffrz is based on a TÜV-certified Privacy by Design architecture that is designed from the outset to protect users’ data and privacy. Our data infrastructure is safeguarded by several protective layers. Among other things, we use a network of several proxy servers as well as encryption.
We have fundamentally shifted the rules that govern how target groups are approached from the server to the client side. All data that the MyOffrz software uses to decide which offers it displays are stored solely on the user’s device and are accessed there as necessary. This allows the user to retain control over his data at all times.
As mentioned above, we transmit statistical data to our servers merely for the purpose of measuring the success of the offers. We use a proxy network to prevent any inferences about the identity of individual users from the outset. By disguising the IP address, among other things, the proxy network ensures that no personally identifiable information is exchanged whatsoever between the browser and MyOffrz’ servers. We simply receive the proxy network’s IP address, from which we’re unable to extrapolate user information. The actual proxies are not capable of reading the encrypted information or deducing anything from it. As a result, sender and content are kept completely separate.
The way we record and store data also precludes any subsequent de-anonymization and profiling. Neither we nor third parties can create user profiles by connecting several data points, because the data stored on the server do not at all contain any reference points. Your anonymity is assured at all times! Even if we wanted to or were obliged to do so by law, we could never share or sell personally identifiable information, because our Privacy by Design architecture makes it technically impossible to store such data on our servers.
Do you have any comments, suggestions, ideas or questions regarding MyOffrz? Just send us an email to user[at]myoffrz.com. We look forward to hearing from you!
