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Early Facebook and Google investor slams them for “aggressive brain hacking”

Practicality 9y ago
It's a real problem. Anecdotally, I've talked to several people struggling to stop clicking on ads so they can keep getting things done. I struggle with it sometimes as well.
- peteretep 9y ago
  I've never even heard of this problem before. Please could you explain?
  - xor1 9y ago
    Person sees an ad while browsing the internet Person clicks ad Person potentially buys something Repeat
  - Practicality 9y ago
    Targeted ads. They look like interesting articles but then when you get there it's just a few facts and then more ads. You end up making somebody money from ad clicks but never find out the information. Ironically, the solution is to usually just google the topic, satiate your curiosity and move on. But I can get stuck in a looking at ads for an hour before I realize what is happening. It's such a waste.
option 9y ago
I think it is time for gov regulations on social networks and search engines. For starters, enforcing basic rights like freedom of speech. Also more scrutiny into what (ads and content) get shown to minors.
- deleted 9y ago
  [deleted]
- duncan_bayne 9y ago
  > freedom of speech ... scrutiny into what (ads and content) get shown to minors You're aware you can't have both of these things, right?
  - option 9y ago
    I don't see how censoring content to minors only conflicts with freedom of speech. For example, You can't vote until you are 18 even if you are a us citizen.
    - duncan_bayne 9y ago
      > I don't see how censoring content to minors only conflicts with freedom of speech There are several reasons: * It immediately creates the role of a censor, enforced with the power of law. History has shown that such censorship is very rarely limited only to minors (consider the Internet filtering going on the UK). * It creates a regulatory barrier to content that is deemed 'offensive to minors'. For example, that barrier might be compliance with laws around proof of age, etc. * The closer technological measures come to _actually_ preventing minors from accessing 'offensive' content (e.g., requiring a valid credit card), the more onerous those are to adult users, and the more likely they are to curtail free expression.
- aryehof 9y ago
  Enforce the basic right to freedom of speech? You mean the right to hate speech, incitement to violence, bullying, slander, and the freedom to to abuse protected groups like children? I don't believe in ignorantly pursuing what has become a slogan for the unthinking.
  - option 9y ago
    Apparently you've never lived in a state with censorship like I did (it was USSR). Never again.
CryoLogic 9y ago
It's definitely true. Google and Facebook do not care about their users in any way other than a venue for making more $. Advertising is a toxic business model that is built around exploiting customers. I think it will take time, but maybe eventually users will learn and begin voting with their $ towards non-ad funded platforms. A big reason why these companies can take advantage of users, is because of the lack of education around technology. Very few people really know what data can be collected / inferred.
- deleted 9y ago
  [deleted]
merricksb 9y ago
Earlier discussion: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14959031 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14959031
grantlmiller 9y ago
I was really hoping to read that he plans to dedicate all the resources he made from the success of these companies to creating the solution. Did I miss that? Maybe he's just trying to get a bit more attention for himself? (Also, feels like there is some amount of irony in the click-baity title and that he published this in an ad supported media outlet.) "I invested early in Google and Facebook and regret it. I helped create a monster." Original story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2017/08/08/my-google-and-facebook-investments-made-fortune-but-now-they-menace/543755001/ https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2017/08/08/my-google-...

It's a real problem. Anecdotally, I've talked to several people struggling to stop clicking on ads so they can keep getting things done. I struggle with it sometimes as well.

peteretep 9y ago
I've never even heard of this problem before. Please could you explain?
- xor1 9y ago
  Person sees an ad while browsing the internet Person clicks ad Person potentially buys something Repeat
- Practicality 9y ago
  Targeted ads. They look like interesting articles but then when you get there it's just a few facts and then more ads. You end up making somebody money from ad clicks but never find out the information. Ironically, the solution is to usually just google the topic, satiate your curiosity and move on. But I can get stuck in a looking at ads for an hour before I realize what is happening. It's such a waste.

option 9y ago

I think it is time for gov regulations on social networks and search engines. For starters, enforcing basic rights like freedom of speech. Also more scrutiny into what (ads and content) get shown to minors.

deleted 9y ago
[deleted]
duncan_bayne 9y ago
> freedom of speech ... scrutiny into what (ads and content) get shown to minors You're aware you can't have both of these things, right?
- option 9y ago
  I don't see how censoring content to minors only conflicts with freedom of speech. For example, You can't vote until you are 18 even if you are a us citizen.
  - duncan_bayne 9y ago
    > I don't see how censoring content to minors only conflicts with freedom of speech There are several reasons: * It immediately creates the role of a censor, enforced with the power of law. History has shown that such censorship is very rarely limited only to minors (consider the Internet filtering going on the UK). * It creates a regulatory barrier to content that is deemed 'offensive to minors'. For example, that barrier might be compliance with laws around proof of age, etc. * The closer technological measures come to _actually_ preventing minors from accessing 'offensive' content (e.g., requiring a valid credit card), the more onerous those are to adult users, and the more likely they are to curtail free expression.
aryehof 9y ago
Enforce the basic right to freedom of speech? You mean the right to hate speech, incitement to violence, bullying, slander, and the freedom to to abuse protected groups like children? I don't believe in ignorantly pursuing what has become a slogan for the unthinking.
- option 9y ago
  Apparently you've never lived in a state with censorship like I did (it was USSR). Never again.

CryoLogic 9y ago

It's definitely true. Google and Facebook do not care about their users in any way other than a venue for making more $. Advertising is a toxic business model that is built around exploiting customers. I think it will take time, but maybe eventually users will learn and begin voting with their $ towards non-ad funded platforms. A big reason why these companies can take advantage of users, is because of the lack of education around technology. Very few people really know what data can be collected / inferred.

deleted 9y ago
[deleted]

merricksb 9y ago

Earlier discussion: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14959031 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14959031

grantlmiller 9y ago

I was really hoping to read that he plans to dedicate all the resources he made from the success of these companies to creating the solution. Did I miss that? Maybe he's just trying to get a bit more attention for himself? (Also, feels like there is some amount of irony in the click-baity title and that he published this in an ad supported media outlet.) "I invested early in Google and Facebook and regret it. I helped create a monster." Original story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2017/08/08/my-google-and-facebook-investments-made-fortune-but-now-they-menace/543755001/ https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2017/08/08/my-google-...