4 ms·

I suspect that tracking is important enough to online operations that if more than a small percentage of people opt-out, sites will start requiring users to opt

I suspect that tracking is important enough to online operations that if more than a small percentage of people opt-out, sites will start requiring users to opt-in to view content. There's no free ride, after all. Carr believes that this turn of events would be an improvement - instead of the current unwritten trade of content for information, everything is out in the open and users can make informed choices. I think it'll be a disaster - I doubt many users want to take the time to make this decision multiple times a day. People will continue to click through agreements without reading them, but since these agreements will now be opt-in, publishers will be more and more comfortable loading them up with intrusive terms. Law of unintended consequences in action.

dugmartin 16y ago
There will probably be a rider to the law that states that you can't discriminate against users that select "Do Not Track". That will be added by the Trial Lawyer's Lobby so they can ensure a class action lawsuit is filed.
- jbooth 16y ago
  6 years ago called. He said that John Edwards hasn't been on a general election ballot since 2004, and there's no organization called the Trial Lawyers Lobby.. he suggests demonizing community organizers and voter registration groups instead.
  - dugmartin 16y ago
    Of course there is a Trial Lawyers Lobby. They meet on alternating Thursdays at the Stonecutter's Lodge (it's BYOB).
  - adolph 16y ago
    Yes, you are correct. They have rebranded as the American Association for Justice. http://www.justice.org/cps/rde/xchg/justice/hs.xsl/default.htm http://www.justice.org/cps/rde/xchg/justice/hs.xsl/default.h...
storborg 16y ago
Indeed, disaster is coming. The problem is, the champions of this law don't understand technically intertwined user tracking is with providing basic functionality on websites. Users will be forced to encounter cases where a website says, "we need you to opt-in to be tracked so that we can provide this convenient feature that you like to use." Then, the users won't understand why they have to do this either, and they'll get angry at the site.

dugmartin 16y ago

There will probably be a rider to the law that states that you can't discriminate against users that select "Do Not Track". That will be added by the Trial Lawyer's Lobby so they can ensure a class action lawsuit is filed.

jbooth 16y ago
6 years ago called. He said that John Edwards hasn't been on a general election ballot since 2004, and there's no organization called the Trial Lawyers Lobby.. he suggests demonizing community organizers and voter registration groups instead.
- dugmartin 16y ago
  Of course there is a Trial Lawyers Lobby. They meet on alternating Thursdays at the Stonecutter's Lodge (it's BYOB).
- adolph 16y ago
  Yes, you are correct. They have rebranded as the American Association for Justice. http://www.justice.org/cps/rde/xchg/justice/hs.xsl/default.htm http://www.justice.org/cps/rde/xchg/justice/hs.xsl/default.h...

storborg 16y ago

Indeed, disaster is coming. The problem is, the champions of this law don't understand technically intertwined user tracking is with providing basic functionality on websites. Users will be forced to encounter cases where a website says, "we need you to opt-in to be tracked so that we can provide this convenient feature that you like to use." Then, the users won't understand why they have to do this either, and they'll get angry at the site.