4 ms·

Behind the One-Way Mirror: A Dive into the Technology of Corporate Surveillance

120 points by matthberg 7y ago

3xblah 7y ago
https://stacks.stanford.edu/file/druid:fv751yt5934/SHEG%20Evaluating%20Information%20Online.pdf https://stacks.stanford.edu/file/druid:fv751yt5934/SHEG%20Ev... Unfortunately, the following responses were not among those seen in the study: "Because when I move the cursor/mouse over it, I can see it points to an ad server." "Because when I view the page source I can see it is filled with links to ad servers."
- TeMPOraL 7y ago
  Yeah, unfortunately, because that's one heuristic that never fails me: the more ads there are on a page, the less trustworthy the source is.
Proven 7y ago
I dislike and block ads. > Finally, keep in mind that none of this is your fault. Privacy shouldn’t be a matter of personal responsibility. It’s not your job to obsess over the latest technologies that can secretly monitor you, and you shouldn’t have to read through a quarter million words of privacy-policy legalese to understand how your phone shares data. This is just plain wrong. It's not a data-mining company's job to teach you how to fight back. The EFF is spewing statist nonsense. You have a choice, which is to not use such services. When you visit someone's Web site, you're using their services. If you don't like how their service works, don't use it (or block ads, delete cookies, etc.). It's not a government Web site that you must visit and may not decline to use without getting fined or jailed (if accessing the service via the Web is the only way you can pay your tax, register a motor vehicle, or obtain one of many services monopolized by the government). > Privacy should be a right, not a privilege for the well-educated and those flush with spare time. Everyone deserves to live in a world—online and offline—that respects their privacy. Most people (but not all) "deserve" it just like health and other nice things, but it's certainly not a right that limits other people's rights (to collect data on their property such as a Web site, for example). You have the right to privacy on your property, not outside or while consequentially using other people's service. Outside of your property you only have the right to protect your privacy without violating other people's property rights. What the EFF is saying if I go to a bar and the bartender remembers my name and favorite drink, I should be able to report him to Nanny State for violating my privacy rights. Sad!
hmhrex 7y ago
I obviously haven't read through this whole thing yet, but I am very much looking forward to it. Hopefully this will be a good reference point for when people ask me for more information. Me and a few other guys meet monthly to chat about ethical advertising, what it looks like for our products, and giving each other ideas on how to succeed at it. I feel that the subject of ethical advertising as an alternative to Google Ads will greatly increase in 2020.
- coldtea 7y ago
  Ethical advertising is like peaceful war.
- matheusmoreira 7y ago
  > ethical advertising, what it looks like Word of mouth. Reviews by third parties that don't have any conflicts of interest and which list your competitors and how their offerings compare to your product.
  - Nextgrid 7y ago
    I think advertising can also be ethical in the current "push" model (aka a free service shows you ads in exchange for not paying) provided some conditions are met: No stalking - the ads should either be tailored to the currently visible content, or the user should be allowed to select which kind of ads they want to see. Accountability - the service showing the ads shares some responsibility if the ad or advertised product ends up malicious, fraudulent, etc. This means services will be much more selective in which kind of ads they show, inline with print magazines & billboards (you usually won't see malware or scams in magazines because their reputation is on the line). Transparency - the details of who paid for the ad, and the targeting criteria (if any) should be clearly displayed. Also, the service should provide a page where users can browse & search all ads (not just political or sensitive ones) that have ever been published on the platform.
    - matheusmoreira 7y ago
      Blockability - the ads are designed to be easy to block and make no attempt to circumvent the blocker.
awat 7y ago
Excellent stuff, will happily continue to donate and would encourage others to as well. *Not associated just an admirer of the EFFs work

120 points by matthberg 7y ago

https://stacks.stanford.edu/file/druid:fv751yt5934/SHEG%20Evaluating%20Information%20Online.pdf https://stacks.stanford.edu/file/druid:fv751yt5934/SHEG%20Ev... Unfortunately, the following responses were not among those seen in the study: "Because when I move the cursor/mouse over it, I can see it points to an ad server." "Because when I view the page source I can see it is filled with links to ad servers."

TeMPOraL 7y ago
Yeah, unfortunately, because that's one heuristic that never fails me: the more ads there are on a page, the less trustworthy the source is.

Proven 7y ago

I dislike and block ads. > Finally, keep in mind that none of this is your fault. Privacy shouldn’t be a matter of personal responsibility. It’s not your job to obsess over the latest technologies that can secretly monitor you, and you shouldn’t have to read through a quarter million words of privacy-policy legalese to understand how your phone shares data. This is just plain wrong. It's not a data-mining company's job to teach you how to fight back. The EFF is spewing statist nonsense. You have a choice, which is to not use such services. When you visit someone's Web site, you're using their services. If you don't like how their service works, don't use it (or block ads, delete cookies, etc.). It's not a government Web site that you must visit and may not decline to use without getting fined or jailed (if accessing the service via the Web is the only way you can pay your tax, register a motor vehicle, or obtain one of many services monopolized by the government). > Privacy should be a right, not a privilege for the well-educated and those flush with spare time. Everyone deserves to live in a world—online and offline—that respects their privacy. Most people (but not all) "deserve" it just like health and other nice things, but it's certainly not a right that limits other people's rights (to collect data on their property such as a Web site, for example). You have the right to privacy on your property, not outside or while consequentially using other people's service. Outside of your property you only have the right to protect your privacy without violating other people's property rights. What the EFF is saying if I go to a bar and the bartender remembers my name and favorite drink, I should be able to report him to Nanny State for violating my privacy rights. Sad!

hmhrex 7y ago

I obviously haven't read through this whole thing yet, but I am very much looking forward to it. Hopefully this will be a good reference point for when people ask me for more information. Me and a few other guys meet monthly to chat about ethical advertising, what it looks like for our products, and giving each other ideas on how to succeed at it. I feel that the subject of ethical advertising as an alternative to Google Ads will greatly increase in 2020.

coldtea 7y ago
Ethical advertising is like peaceful war.
matheusmoreira 7y ago
> ethical advertising, what it looks like Word of mouth. Reviews by third parties that don't have any conflicts of interest and which list your competitors and how their offerings compare to your product.
- Nextgrid 7y ago
  I think advertising can also be ethical in the current "push" model (aka a free service shows you ads in exchange for not paying) provided some conditions are met: No stalking - the ads should either be tailored to the currently visible content, or the user should be allowed to select which kind of ads they want to see. Accountability - the service showing the ads shares some responsibility if the ad or advertised product ends up malicious, fraudulent, etc. This means services will be much more selective in which kind of ads they show, inline with print magazines & billboards (you usually won't see malware or scams in magazines because their reputation is on the line). Transparency - the details of who paid for the ad, and the targeting criteria (if any) should be clearly displayed. Also, the service should provide a page where users can browse & search all ads (not just political or sensitive ones) that have ever been published on the platform.
  - matheusmoreira 7y ago
    Blockability - the ads are designed to be easy to block and make no attempt to circumvent the blocker.

awat 7y ago

Excellent stuff, will happily continue to donate and would encourage others to as well. *Not associated just an admirer of the EFFs work