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Stalkers gonna stalk, makers gonna make, founders gonna found. We nerds always knew that the Facebook, Google, etc. images were tracking beacons, and their bus

Stalkers gonna stalk, makers gonna make, founders gonna found. We nerds always knew that the Facebook, Google, etc. images were tracking beacons, and their business model was, to paraphrase Eric Schmidt, to get as close as possible to the creepy line. Fortunately, it is/was easy to opt out by DNS-blocking a few hosts. If this behavior becomes common, back-end data sharing and syncing will become the norm, and something like ToR will become necessary, then local encryption, then... But who ever said fighting crime was easy? EDIT: "And I have no doubt that the vast majority of engineers, designers, and policy makers working in Silicon Valley want to do the right thing." How can I even pretend to believe that the author believes that? They mostly don't know what the "right thing" is, don't think of their behavior in moral terms, and wouldn't dent their salaries to act morally.

eevilspock 11y ago
The problem is that most of the victims are accomplices to the crime, but even more so the makers and founders who make out on ad revenue. Advertising is our C8: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10047706 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10047706. That comment net 48 votes so I am cautiously hopeful. I say "net" because everytime I call out the moral failing of the ad "business model", I get downvotes. The salaries of too many people here are underwriten by ads.
ised 11y ago
"...as close as possible to the creepy line." Great stuff. Blog posts are just too boring most of the time. We need more direct quotes from the people toeing the creepy line. That is the behavior that should be tracked. What do you think these "engineers, designers and policy makers" get up to each day? Maybe lots of "pretending to believe" they are doing something meaningful?
uptownJimmy 11y ago
This line (paraphrased) shines with meaning in the dusky, honesty-deprived, side-show-tawdry Web of today: "...their business model is...to get as close as possible to the creepy line."

eevilspock 11y ago

The problem is that most of the victims are accomplices to the crime, but even more so the makers and founders who make out on ad revenue. Advertising is our C8: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10047706 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10047706. That comment net 48 votes so I am cautiously hopeful. I say "net" because everytime I call out the moral failing of the ad "business model", I get downvotes. The salaries of too many people here are underwriten by ads.

ised 11y ago

"...as close as possible to the creepy line." Great stuff. Blog posts are just too boring most of the time. We need more direct quotes from the people toeing the creepy line. That is the behavior that should be tracked. What do you think these "engineers, designers and policy makers" get up to each day? Maybe lots of "pretending to believe" they are doing something meaningful?

uptownJimmy 11y ago

This line (paraphrased) shines with meaning in the dusky, honesty-deprived, side-show-tawdry Web of today: "...their business model is...to get as close as possible to the creepy line."