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Comcast-Funded Civil Rights Groups Claim Low-Income People Want Ads Over Privacy

theintercept.com

31–40 of 72 posts

Re: Comcast-Funded Civil Rights Groups Claim Low-Income People Want Ads Over Privacy

#31
post #28

Them wanting people to believe that this will lower the cost of internet service is laughable. Have TV ads lowered the cost of cable? We need to think of the internet as a public utility. How absurd would it be if every time you used water in your home, you heard an advertisement playing from a speaker in the faucet.

> Them wanting people to believe that this will lower the cost of internet service is laughable. Have TV ads lowered the cost of cable? It's a very important point; this false argument is often used. In truth, in the marketplace, goods are not priced at 'cost-plus'; i.e., they aren't priced by taking the cost to the vendor and adding a profit margin. Goods are priced at the point that will maximize profit for the ven…

This is only half the argument, though. Yes, companies charge as much as possible, but prices go down when a competitor can offer a comparable good at a lower price. Some markets clearly have features that make competition harder.

Re: Comcast-Funded Civil Rights Groups Claim Low-Income People Want Ads Over Privacy

#32
post #28

Them wanting people to believe that this will lower the cost of internet service is laughable. Have TV ads lowered the cost of cable? We need to think of the internet as a public utility. How absurd would it be if every time you used water in your home, you heard an advertisement playing from a speaker in the faucet.

Every time I hear someone argue for the efficiencies of privatization, I think of my water utility emulating mobile carriers and billing me for "Anytime gallons" and "Nighttime gallons" and "Weekend gallons".

Re: Comcast-Funded Civil Rights Groups Claim Low-Income People Want Ads Over Privacy

#33
post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Them wanting people to believe that this will lower the cost of internet service is laughable. Have TV ads lowered the cost of cable? It's a very important point; this false argument is often used. In truth, in the marketplace, goods are not priced at 'cost-plus'; i.e., they aren't priced by taking the cost to the vendor and adding a profit margin. Goods are priced at the point that will maximize profit for the ven…

This is only half the argument, though. Yes, companies charge as much as possible, but prices go down when a competitor can offer a comparable good at a lower price. Some markets clearly have features that make competition harder.

Agreed, but how do you see that applying in this situation? Privacy regulations apply either to all competitors or none.

Re: Comcast-Funded Civil Rights Groups Claim Low-Income People Want Ads Over Privacy

#34
post #21

It makes sense. Poor people can't pay for privacy, now that it became a feature instead of a right.

First there is strong bias here, so we actually do not know really if it is true. Second, lets imagine that poor people would prefer whipping instead of imprisonment (they can return to work sooner) or fine. Should we follow the same logic here then and accept it?

In your example, "whipping", "imprisonment", and "[or] fine" are all examples of punishments for a crime.

Being poor is not a crime.

Re: Comcast-Funded Civil Rights Groups Claim Low-Income People Want Ads Over Privacy

#35
post #28

Them wanting people to believe that this will lower the cost of internet service is laughable. Have TV ads lowered the cost of cable? We need to think of the internet as a public utility. How absurd would it be if every time you used water in your home, you heard an advertisement playing from a speaker in the faucet.

ISPs don't have to pay the content providers that cable does though.

Re: Comcast-Funded Civil Rights Groups Claim Low-Income People Want Ads Over Privacy

#36
post #28

Them wanting people to believe that this will lower the cost of internet service is laughable. Have TV ads lowered the cost of cable? We need to think of the internet as a public utility. How absurd would it be if every time you used water in your home, you heard an advertisement playing from a speaker in the faucet.

> Have TV ads lowered the cost of cable?

Almost certainly.

Re: Comcast-Funded Civil Rights Groups Claim Low-Income People Want Ads Over Privacy

#37

This idea makes sense, empirically. There is a cost to provide internet, and low-income individuals may be more willing to provide a combination of valuable assets (cash & data), while higher income individuals would be willing to provide more cash in exchange for no data. Regardless, the end payment is the same, it's just a question about how you want to pay. Edit: For those who think this may be a money grab, remem…

But that's not how services are priced... you can't guarantee that how/what a private entity will cross-subsidize. The whole point of a Universal Service Fund (for telephony) is that there was no motivation for this kind of monetization.

As for the gov't getting tax revenue from selling the information, that's just unpersuasive. First, it's an incredibly indirect way of getting the revenue, and second that could be used to justify any profit-making activity, which makes it meaningless.

Re: Comcast-Funded Civil Rights Groups Claim Low-Income People Want Ads Over Privacy

#38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

First there is strong bias here, so we actually do not know really if it is true. Second, lets imagine that poor people would prefer whipping instead of imprisonment (they can return to work sooner) or fine. Should we follow the same logic here then and accept it?

In your example, "whipping", "imprisonment", and "[or] fine" are all examples of punishments for a crime. Being poor is not a crime.

I think that's the point.

Re: Comcast-Funded Civil Rights Groups Claim Low-Income People Want Ads Over Privacy

#39
I have no problem with ads being targeted to me. It increases the likelihood something useful will pop up on my screen. I also don't mind using sites which are ad free, nor do I mind paying for ad-free services like YouTube Red.

Re: Comcast-Funded Civil Rights Groups Claim Low-Income People Want Ads Over Privacy

#40
post #32
post #28

Them wanting people to believe that this will lower the cost of internet service is laughable. Have TV ads lowered the cost of cable? We need to think of the internet as a public utility. How absurd would it be if every time you used water in your home, you heard an advertisement playing from a speaker in the faucet.

Every time I hear someone argue for the efficiencies of privatization, I think of my water utility emulating mobile carriers and billing me for "Anytime gallons" and "Nighttime gallons" and "Weekend gallons".

Instead, if you're in a drought-prone area, you get water bans.
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