Regulation is a start. In the short history of the commercial internet, we have seen that any notion of "self-regulation" is a joke. The reason some of these

Regulation is a start. In the short history of the commercial internet, we have seen that any notion of "self-regulation" is a joke. The reason some of these particularly acute problems in your industry exist is because there is zero regulation. It is also why the industry is so profitable, and why those profits can be channeled to a select few particpants without much resistance. The conflict of interest that stands in the way of changing the status quo is insurmountable without having at least some rules. History so far has shown there is no practical way to restrain this type of activity without some legal basis. No amounts of money from advertising and investors are going to solve these problems. No one wants regulation but without it, a few large companies are going to be the ones making the "rules". The future of the internet's design will be crafted to fuel their continued survival. I have been watching this happen since the birth of the web. It is easier to see when you do not work in the industry. Imagine if advertising did not subsidise your work and you had to sell your software. How much would people pay? Yes, there would be motivation to write original, quality software. But this is a terrifying idea to today's software "engineers". The hell with good software, they want to get paid. Advertisers can make that happen. If someone really believes the internet and advertising are like chocolate and peanut butter -- they go great together -- just look at what has happened to "news", a profession that, like today's "tech" industry, relies on advertising to survive. Every day people come to HN to complain about the ridiculous headlines, bias, sensationalism, etc. We are losing serious journalism. We are also losing serious software. From where I sit, we are losing a lot. Whatever we are gaining seems like a poor tradeoff.