5 ms·

Why would you pay for something people are giving you for free? If people are volunteering that information, I think it’s fine to use it to finance the free pro

Why would you pay for something people are giving you for free? If people are volunteering that information, I think it’s fine to use it to finance the free product they’re getting. I’m totally free to not use Google, Facebook, Amazon, etc.

AlexandrB 6y ago
I would like you to explain to me how you could avoid using Google given that Google Analytics is present in some 70% of the top 10,000 websites and reCaptcha also has huge penetration.
- bryan_w 6y ago
  Browse in incognito mode. It shouldn't give GA any tractable info. That's the easiest way without installing a browser plugin, but if you do a 2 second plugin search, you'll find many that block Google and the 1000's of other companies that are tracking you that you don't know about This is completely a technical problem that can be solved in software
- Nasrudith 6y ago
  Simple use a DNS that blocks them. It will break many things but nobody said it was free.
chillacy 6y ago
> If people are volunteering that information Given the articles and comments I've read in the past year, I don't think a lot of people are exactly thrilled with the exchange. Outside of HN I think there's some feeling of unfairness to see so much money being made off "our data", for better or worse. It's complicated because the data isn't worth much until it's processed and analyzed, and that's where much of the value-add is. But nonetheless unfairness is a very strong emotion.
- balfirevic 6y ago
  > It's complicated because the data isn't worth much until it's processed and analyzed, and that's where much of the value-add is It isn't worth much, per user, even after it's processed and analyzed.
  - chillacy 6y ago
    True, I looked it up and per quarter it was maybe $30 in the US per quarter per big ad-tech company. A digital VAT would be easier to reason about IMO, but this idea of handing money directly to people has some populist appeal I suspect. Personally I much rather preferred his original plan to fund a UBI with consumption taxes, but I suppose the primary voters weren't bought into that plan.
- Nasrudith 6y ago
  It is certainly an emotion alright and not a rational one. A lot of it is - expecting a pony with their can of coke while not considering such arrangements now mean thousands of dollars per can and a massive reserve of ponies outside every vendor.

AlexandrB 6y ago

I would like you to explain to me how you could avoid using Google given that Google Analytics is present in some 70% of the top 10,000 websites and reCaptcha also has huge penetration.

bryan_w 6y ago
Browse in incognito mode. It shouldn't give GA any tractable info. That's the easiest way without installing a browser plugin, but if you do a 2 second plugin search, you'll find many that block Google and the 1000's of other companies that are tracking you that you don't know about This is completely a technical problem that can be solved in software
Nasrudith 6y ago
Simple use a DNS that blocks them. It will break many things but nobody said it was free.

chillacy 6y ago

> If people are volunteering that information Given the articles and comments I've read in the past year, I don't think a lot of people are exactly thrilled with the exchange. Outside of HN I think there's some feeling of unfairness to see so much money being made off "our data", for better or worse. It's complicated because the data isn't worth much until it's processed and analyzed, and that's where much of the value-add is. But nonetheless unfairness is a very strong emotion.

balfirevic 6y ago
> It's complicated because the data isn't worth much until it's processed and analyzed, and that's where much of the value-add is It isn't worth much, per user, even after it's processed and analyzed.
- chillacy 6y ago
  True, I looked it up and per quarter it was maybe $30 in the US per quarter per big ad-tech company. A digital VAT would be easier to reason about IMO, but this idea of handing money directly to people has some populist appeal I suspect. Personally I much rather preferred his original plan to fund a UBI with consumption taxes, but I suppose the primary voters weren't bought into that plan.
Nasrudith 6y ago
It is certainly an emotion alright and not a rational one. A lot of it is - expecting a pony with their can of coke while not considering such arrangements now mean thousands of dollars per can and a massive reserve of ponies outside every vendor.