3 ms·
I don't understand how people can believe that Google or Facebook "sell people's data" as claimed in the article. Both of these companies very clearly run thei
by mgraczyk 10y ago
I don't understand how people can believe that Google or Facebook "sell people's data" as claimed in the article.
Both of these companies very clearly run their own ad networks and sell people's attention and time, not their data. Why is this completely inaccurate claim so often repeated? Because it's catchy?
Getting angry at how Google and Facebook make money is like getting angry at a cable company for showing commercials. It's not their fault that people watch so much horrible television, nor is it LinkedIn's fault that the author continues to use their horrible site.
- ForHackernews 10y agoWell, that's splitting hairs, isn't it? If I run a pizza parlor, and somebody describes my restaurant as "selling flour, water and cheese", should I loudly object "No, in fact I take those ingredients and process them into something else that I sell!"
- mgraczyk 10y agoNo, they really are different. The objectionable part seems to be that data should be protected and respected, while products made using the data should be treated with less careful scrutiny. Nobody would object morally to a restaurant selling flour, water and cheese. I think a more apt analogy would be somebody describing the pizza restaurant as "selling an insult to Italian culture". The sale of a culture seems morally objectionable, and the statement is emotionally charged.