3 ms·

Watch how you use those words - if one defines ‘better’ and ‘worse’ in the context of my privacy, then ads that don’t do creepy things are better.

BigJono 9y ago
Is there anything inherently bad about a site using your data to serve you more relevant ads, as long as your data is not passed on to a 3rd party?
- djrogers 9y ago
  Show me a site that gathers data about me directly, transparently, and without any creepy cross-site tracking, and I’ll consider your question. Unfortunately that’s not how anyone works.
- e12e 9y ago
  I'd say that highly targeted ads are harmful, as it's more likely to undermine the viewer (eg: political ads tweaked based on current family situation/emergencies derived from data mining). Eg: target people who recently lost loved ones to an attack by one of our times typical "lone gunmen" by ads advertising increased surveillance as a way to mitigate "terrorist" attacks. Or substituting in first names of friends in paid content ("<person with same name as your friend> give the following reasons to vote x!/buy this"). Not to mention that if advertising works - then it undermines the idea of a free marked where purchases are made by informed independent agents (I think that's a fantasy anyway, but it seems to be a somewhat popular idea).
- danieldk 9y ago
  Is there anything inherently bad about a site using your data to serve you more relevant ads, as long as your data is not passed on to a 3rd party? Is there anything inherently bad about a stalker passively observing and recording your every move, as long as they don't disturb your daily routine or pass the data along? Even if you find the stalking behavior (cross-site tracking) of ad companies acceptable, there is a significant risk that your data leaks or is stolen. So, I should be able to decide who I trust with saving intimate data and who I don't.
- icebraining 9y ago
  Except we know that not passing data is a pipe dream. Between hacks and governmental abuses, no company can promise that, no matter how honest they are.
- deleted 9y ago
  [deleted]
DonHopkins 9y ago
It's been looking really creepy after I purchased a Plush Cuddle Death Star, because now it keeps showing several repeated ads for them right next to each other. I already have one, and now they want me to buy a whole cuddly fleet of them! Oddly enough, I haven't seen any ads for the R2D2 mug I ordered with it.
PhasmaFelis 9y ago
Don't underestimate how bad bad ads can be. I turned off targeted advertising on my Android phone for a while. The result was that around 50% of ad banners I saw were ultra-spammy strobing things--presumably the only ones that will pay for untargeted ads--making apps with built-in ad banners essentially unusable. I wound up changing back. That may have been the intention. (An Android ad blocker would probably work best, but getting one running on my ancient phone was more hassle than I wanted.)
- e12e 9y ago
  Curious - what apps do you use that has apps, but doesn't have a paid option (that you are willing to pay for)? I rarely see ads on my android (I do use ad blocker for Web browsing).
  - PhasmaFelis 9y ago
    Small-time games, mostly.
- dredmorbius 9y ago
  Recognise that the ad platform itself has an incentive to pump absolute bilge at you. I have an incentive to block that as hard as humanly, or computationally, possible.
  - Buge 9y ago
    They have an incentive to give you ads you will click on. If you're not going to click on it, then there's a disincentive to show it to you.
    - dredmorbius 9y ago
      There are two possible transactions: selling you ads, or selling you to a better class of advertisers. I see parallels to the 3rd class rail (or coach-class air) problem. If you improve the conditions of the lowest service class, nobody upgrades to higher levels of service. So the lowest class is intentionally bad.

BigJono 9y ago

Is there anything inherently bad about a site using your data to serve you more relevant ads, as long as your data is not passed on to a 3rd party?

djrogers 9y ago
Show me a site that gathers data about me directly, transparently, and without any creepy cross-site tracking, and I’ll consider your question. Unfortunately that’s not how anyone works.
e12e 9y ago
I'd say that highly targeted ads are harmful, as it's more likely to undermine the viewer (eg: political ads tweaked based on current family situation/emergencies derived from data mining). Eg: target people who recently lost loved ones to an attack by one of our times typical "lone gunmen" by ads advertising increased surveillance as a way to mitigate "terrorist" attacks. Or substituting in first names of friends in paid content ("<person with same name as your friend> give the following reasons to vote x!/buy this"). Not to mention that if advertising works - then it undermines the idea of a free marked where purchases are made by informed independent agents (I think that's a fantasy anyway, but it seems to be a somewhat popular idea).
danieldk 9y ago
Is there anything inherently bad about a site using your data to serve you more relevant ads, as long as your data is not passed on to a 3rd party? Is there anything inherently bad about a stalker passively observing and recording your every move, as long as they don't disturb your daily routine or pass the data along? Even if you find the stalking behavior (cross-site tracking) of ad companies acceptable, there is a significant risk that your data leaks or is stolen. So, I should be able to decide who I trust with saving intimate data and who I don't.
icebraining 9y ago
Except we know that not passing data is a pipe dream. Between hacks and governmental abuses, no company can promise that, no matter how honest they are.
deleted 9y ago
[deleted]

DonHopkins 9y ago

It's been looking really creepy after I purchased a Plush Cuddle Death Star, because now it keeps showing several repeated ads for them right next to each other. I already have one, and now they want me to buy a whole cuddly fleet of them! Oddly enough, I haven't seen any ads for the R2D2 mug I ordered with it.

PhasmaFelis 9y ago

Don't underestimate how bad bad ads can be. I turned off targeted advertising on my Android phone for a while. The result was that around 50% of ad banners I saw were ultra-spammy strobing things--presumably the only ones that will pay for untargeted ads--making apps with built-in ad banners essentially unusable. I wound up changing back. That may have been the intention. (An Android ad blocker would probably work best, but getting one running on my ancient phone was more hassle than I wanted.)

e12e 9y ago
Curious - what apps do you use that has apps, but doesn't have a paid option (that you are willing to pay for)? I rarely see ads on my android (I do use ad blocker for Web browsing).
- PhasmaFelis 9y ago
  Small-time games, mostly.
dredmorbius 9y ago
Recognise that the ad platform itself has an incentive to pump absolute bilge at you. I have an incentive to block that as hard as humanly, or computationally, possible.
- Buge 9y ago
  They have an incentive to give you ads you will click on. If you're not going to click on it, then there's a disincentive to show it to you.
  - dredmorbius 9y ago
    There are two possible transactions: selling you ads, or selling you to a better class of advertisers. I see parallels to the 3rd class rail (or coach-class air) problem. If you improve the conditions of the lowest service class, nobody upgrades to higher levels of service. So the lowest class is intentionally bad.