4 ms·

We don't know that Microsoft is worse, but we do know that Google's entire business is based on surveillance and personalized advertising, and that it's an insi

by scholia 11y ago

We don't know that Microsoft is worse, but we do know that Google's entire business is based on surveillance and personalized advertising, and that it's an insignificant part of Microsoft's business.

petra 11y ago
That's true. But their efforts in that direction are very significant. And we know that AI tech requires massive data collection. And microsoft seems determined as ever to improve Bing(and Bing ads). And Bing Ads(which is also responsible for Yahoo's search ads) , according to some reports , may have 20% of the U.S. search ads market. And leaving money aside, Bing and Bing ads may be of strategic importance to Microsoft. So if microsoft would have chance to sell our data to advertisers , it will do so , i have no doubt. Also they could have easily marketed Bing as a search engine with higher privacy level, or at least higher privacy level for sensitive stuff like medical etc. But they didn't.
- scholia 11y ago
  You realize that Bing ads are actually sold by AOL? Microsoft more or less gave up on the ad businesses in 2012 when it wrote off $6.2bn over its purchase of aQuantive. http://www.informationweek.com/it-leadership/microsoft-ad-business-in-doubt-after-$62-billion-write-off/d/d-id/1105163 http://www.informationweek.com/it-leadership/microsoft-ad-bu...?
  - petra 11y ago
    I think they sold the display ad business to AOL but kept the search ad business.
    - scholia 11y ago
      "Under the terms of the agreement, both companies would benefit. AOL would take over management and sales for the majority of the advertising on Microsoft’s gaming, mobile, and web products. In exchange, AOL would make Bing their search engine of choice instead of Google—a significant boost for Bing since AOL still has 2.2 million dial-up subscribers alone (yes, even in 2015). AOL would also extend job offers to more than 1,000 Microsoft employees working in the adtech space. Specific terms of the deal were not disclosed, and Microsoft will continue to have an advertising division with a much smaller portfolio. Additional Microsoft responsibilities were handed over to another adtech firm, New York’s AppNexus." [My itals] http://www.fastcompany.com/3048150/why-the-aol-and-microsoft-advertising-deal-matters http://www.fastcompany.com/3048150/why-the-aol-and-microsoft... Microsoft really isn't in the ad business in any significant way nowadays....

by scholia 11y ago

We don't know that Microsoft is worse, but we do know that Google's entire business is based on surveillance and personalized advertising, and that it's an insignificant part of Microsoft's business.

petra 11y ago

That's true. But their efforts in that direction are very significant. And we know that AI tech requires massive data collection. And microsoft seems determined as ever to improve Bing(and Bing ads). And Bing Ads(which is also responsible for Yahoo's search ads) , according to some reports , may have 20% of the U.S. search ads market. And leaving money aside, Bing and Bing ads may be of strategic importance to Microsoft. So if microsoft would have chance to sell our data to advertisers , it will do so , i have no doubt. Also they could have easily marketed Bing as a search engine with higher privacy level, or at least higher privacy level for sensitive stuff like medical etc. But they didn't.

scholia 11y ago
You realize that Bing ads are actually sold by AOL? Microsoft more or less gave up on the ad businesses in 2012 when it wrote off $6.2bn over its purchase of aQuantive. http://www.informationweek.com/it-leadership/microsoft-ad-business-in-doubt-after-$62-billion-write-off/d/d-id/1105163 http://www.informationweek.com/it-leadership/microsoft-ad-bu...?
- petra 11y ago
  I think they sold the display ad business to AOL but kept the search ad business.
  - scholia 11y ago
    "Under the terms of the agreement, both companies would benefit. AOL would take over management and sales for the majority of the advertising on Microsoft’s gaming, mobile, and web products. In exchange, AOL would make Bing their search engine of choice instead of Google—a significant boost for Bing since AOL still has 2.2 million dial-up subscribers alone (yes, even in 2015). AOL would also extend job offers to more than 1,000 Microsoft employees working in the adtech space. Specific terms of the deal were not disclosed, and Microsoft will continue to have an advertising division with a much smaller portfolio. Additional Microsoft responsibilities were handed over to another adtech firm, New York’s AppNexus." [My itals] http://www.fastcompany.com/3048150/why-the-aol-and-microsoft-advertising-deal-matters http://www.fastcompany.com/3048150/why-the-aol-and-microsoft... Microsoft really isn't in the ad business in any significant way nowadays....