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I think the EU is trying to regulate something can’t be regulated because incentives don’t align. Want a free internet? That means ads and tracking. Want no ads

I think the EU is trying to regulate something can’t be regulated because incentives don’t align. Want a free internet? That means ads and tracking. Want no ads? That means you paying… and young or poor or anonymous people get excluded

cuu508 4y ago
GDPR does not ban tracking. It requires that user is informed how their personal data will be used, and, where the processing of their personal data is not strictly needed, explicitly consents to it.
manuelmoreale 4y ago
I think this is disingenuous. There are ways to do advertising without invasive and excessive tracking. We just accepted that getting tracked is the default and has to be that way. But there are alternatives. Sure, those alternatives would probably be less effective but also more respectful of user privacy. And I know the change won’t happen. I’m aware of that. I’m just saying that alternatives are out there.
mrweasel 4y ago
You can still do ads, there are no rules regarding ads (other than there are things you can not advertise, like in the real world). The main issue really is that publishers and ad networks conflate tracking and ads. I'm pretty tired of sites popping up a message saying: "We need to talk about your ad blocker". I don't block ads, I block tracking, remove the tracking and we're good. Context based ads works almost as well as those based on endless amounts of personal information. They are good enough, they worked well for decades. The problem is that they are a lot hard to sell/buy and modern online ad specialist aren't qualified to do it, they can only click around the Google AdWords or Facebook Ads.
xigoi 4y ago
There are many people posting without any payment or ads… and usually the content is way better.
alkonaut 4y ago
I have a very simple response to this: fix the business model or just take the site off the web. If your site or service is popular enough I'm sure there is a way of monetizing it without tracking ads. Contextual ads, Really dumb ads, product referrals, subscriptions, the options are endless. The usual response I get to this position is "but I don't want to pay with money and I don't mind ads, and I really like the content, should you be making the decision for me that I can't participate in that transaction?" To which my answer is yes.
- FredPret 4y ago
  Why do jumped-up little bureaucrats always appropriate other people’s power of choice? It’s like there’s some dark instinct to issue diktats so that everyone must follow The One True Way… as defined by you.
  - illiarian 4y ago
    > Why do jumped-up little bureaucrats always appropriate other people’s power of choice They don't. What they say is that businesses shouldn't assume that people's private data is theirs for the taking. People still have the choice to opt-in to pervasive tracking.
    - FredPret 4y ago
      > “should you be making the decision for me that I can't participate in that transaction?" To which my answer is yes.”
      - illiarian 4y ago
        You can participate in transaction. If the business asks you if you want to participate in the transaction, literally no one is stopping you from saying yes.
        FredPret 4y ago

cuu508 4y ago

GDPR does not ban tracking. It requires that user is informed how their personal data will be used, and, where the processing of their personal data is not strictly needed, explicitly consents to it.

manuelmoreale 4y ago

I think this is disingenuous. There are ways to do advertising without invasive and excessive tracking. We just accepted that getting tracked is the default and has to be that way. But there are alternatives. Sure, those alternatives would probably be less effective but also more respectful of user privacy. And I know the change won’t happen. I’m aware of that. I’m just saying that alternatives are out there.

mrweasel 4y ago

You can still do ads, there are no rules regarding ads (other than there are things you can not advertise, like in the real world). The main issue really is that publishers and ad networks conflate tracking and ads. I'm pretty tired of sites popping up a message saying: "We need to talk about your ad blocker". I don't block ads, I block tracking, remove the tracking and we're good. Context based ads works almost as well as those based on endless amounts of personal information. They are good enough, they worked well for decades. The problem is that they are a lot hard to sell/buy and modern online ad specialist aren't qualified to do it, they can only click around the Google AdWords or Facebook Ads.

xigoi 4y ago

There are many people posting without any payment or ads… and usually the content is way better.

alkonaut 4y ago

I have a very simple response to this: fix the business model or just take the site off the web. If your site or service is popular enough I'm sure there is a way of monetizing it without tracking ads. Contextual ads, Really dumb ads, product referrals, subscriptions, the options are endless. The usual response I get to this position is "but I don't want to pay with money and I don't mind ads, and I really like the content, should you be making the decision for me that I can't participate in that transaction?" To which my answer is yes.

FredPret 4y ago
Why do jumped-up little bureaucrats always appropriate other people’s power of choice? It’s like there’s some dark instinct to issue diktats so that everyone must follow The One True Way… as defined by you.
- illiarian 4y ago
  > Why do jumped-up little bureaucrats always appropriate other people’s power of choice They don't. What they say is that businesses shouldn't assume that people's private data is theirs for the taking. People still have the choice to opt-in to pervasive tracking.
  - FredPret 4y ago
    > “should you be making the decision for me that I can't participate in that transaction?" To which my answer is yes.”
    - illiarian 4y ago
      You can participate in transaction. If the business asks you if you want to participate in the transaction, literally no one is stopping you from saying yes.
      - FredPret 4y ago