Providing transparency and user control over use of browsing data

A system for an entity to transparently share user browsing data, comprising:

• one or more processing units;
• and
• computer-readable storage media storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processing units, cause the system to perform operations comprising:
• determining that a user has initiated use of a browsing component;
• causing display of a graphical user interface (UI) that presents:
• identities for a plurality of data aggregators and corresponding functionality to receive first input indicating whether the user allows or prevents sharing of the user browsing data with individual ones of the plurality of data aggregators, each of the plurality of data aggregators offering an incentive for the user to share the user browsing data;
• and
• a web site and corresponding functionality to receive second input indicating whether the user allows or prevents sharing of the user browsing data for the web site;
• receiving the first input indicating that the user allows the sharing of the user browsing data with a data aggregator of the plurality of data aggregators;
• receiving the second input indicating that the user allows the sharing of the user browsing data for the web site with the data aggregator;
• collecting, by the browsing component, the user browsing data based on interactions with the web site;
• sharing the user browsing data with the data aggregator based at least in part on the first input and the second input;
• and
• enabling the incentive offered by the data aggregator to be provided to the user.

A computer readable storage medium that stores instructions that, when executed by one or more processing units, cause a system to perform operations comprising:

• determining that a user has initiated use of a browsing component;
• causing display of a graphical user interface (UI) that presents:
• identities for a plurality of data aggregators and corresponding functionality to receive first input indicating whether the user allows or prevents sharing of user browsing data and personal information to supplement the user browsing data with individual ones of the plurality of data aggregators, each of the plurality of data aggregators offering an incentive for the user to share the user browsing data and the personal information;
• and
• a plurality of categories of web sites and corresponding functionality to receive second input indicating whether the user allows or prevents sharing of the user browsing data and the personal information for each of the plurality of categories of web sites;
• receiving the first input that selects a data aggregator from the plurality of data aggregators;
• receiving the second input indicating that the user allows the sharing of the user browsing data and the personal information for a particular category of web sites, of the plurality of categories of web sites, with the data aggregator;
• collecting, by the browsing component, the user browsing data based on interactions with a plurality of web sites that belong to the particular category of web sites;
• and
• sharing the user browsing data and the personal information with the data aggregator based at least in part on the first input and the second input;
• and
• enabling the incentive offered by the data aggregator to be provided to the user.