I can predict the "Dark Patterns" right now. Giant Accept button and 6pt font opt-out link.
Maine passes bill to prevent ISPs from selling browsing data without consent
61–70 of 233 posts
Re: Maine passes bill to prevent ISPs from selling browsing data without consent
#62Earlier quoted context omitted.
We should ban collecting tons if info about people, for all companies, period. We won't, because banks and CC companies are very into doing that and the politicians love them, but we should.
No. Because many businesses rely on data available. FAANG would be out of business then.
"Businesses rely on being shitty so we can't outlaw being shitty or they might have to find a way to operate without being shitty, or else stop operating" isn't really convincing me.
Re: Maine passes bill to prevent ISPs from selling browsing data without consent
#63I look forward to the day when selling user's data requires the user's opt-in every single time a third party wants to access that data. No more "yes to all" or allowing blanket usage in TOS/EULAs. People who use apps that sell their data should be bombarded with requests to use that data each and every single time, until they either decide the app isn't worth it or the app decides they should try a different busines…
I really don't understand the extreme hostility to data collection and data markets. No one likes ads, but no one wants to have to pay a subscription fee to every single site on the internet. If I'm going to see ads, I'd rather them be something I might potentially find useful than something irrelevant. If I end up buying their product, the exchange is mutually beneficial and both parties walk away with value from th…
Because it's rife with bad actors due to a lack of regulation. And even the good actors are kind of forced to be bad actors in order to compete. Lacking better regulation it's just a horrible business model for consumers, with really no exceptions since anyone who plays nice will ultimately lose out to less scrupulous players.
Re: Maine passes bill to prevent ISPs from selling browsing data without consent
#64Earlier quoted context omitted.
We should ban collecting tons if info about people, for all companies, period. We won't, because banks and CC companies are very into doing that and the politicians love them, but we should.
No. Because many businesses rely on data available. FAANG would be out of business then.
AAN actually sell stuff other than hyper-targeted ads. F and G (and AAN) still can sell ads, just less targeted ones. They would suffer a bit (or a bit more), but not outright be forced out of business. And same goes for most if not all other FAANG-tier companies not explicitly included in that acronym.
As for the "improving service" angle, e.g. Netflix could ask if it's OK to collect history to improve/personalize recommendations.
And a lot of "improvements" and metrics do not really need detailed data collection per person anyway. Collecting anonymous data in broader groupings is often quite fine. E.g. "Strange Things is really popular our total-views counter says ergo order a new season". There is no need for Netflix to know exactly who specifically watched the show to make such a decision.
Re: Maine passes bill to prevent ISPs from selling browsing data without consent
#65I look forward to the day when selling user's data requires the user's opt-in every single time a third party wants to access that data. No more "yes to all" or allowing blanket usage in TOS/EULAs. People who use apps that sell their data should be bombarded with requests to use that data each and every single time, until they either decide the app isn't worth it or the app decides they should try a different busines…
I really don't understand the extreme hostility to data collection and data markets. No one likes ads, but no one wants to have to pay a subscription fee to every single site on the internet. If I'm going to see ads, I'd rather them be something I might potentially find useful than something irrelevant. If I end up buying their product, the exchange is mutually beneficial and both parties walk away with value from th…
My problem at least is the fog behind it all, let me make the choice of whether I let you sell my information or pay you directly, don't make me assume that everything free comes with strings attached.
Re: Maine passes bill to prevent ISPs from selling browsing data without consent
#66Still can't wrap my head around the idea that they even have my browsing data. Just connect me to the Internet and mind your own business.
Boy have I got a surprise for you. I was an engineer at a web analytics firm a decade ago and yes, ISPs have your web browsing data and are selling it left and right. Also apps, Cell phone companies, etc. Our company bought all that data. and when that wasn't enough, we created apps that collected even more. Every click and ajax request, etc.... timestamped. Yes, there are analysts sifting through your browsing data…
> ISPs have your web browsing data
Since you worked in this area: What specific things do they track, and by what technical mechanism? DNS requests? (Do they capture those that don't go to their servers?) IP addresses? HTTP snooping? Full HTTP (non-TLS) MITM?
Re: Maine passes bill to prevent ISPs from selling browsing data without consent
#67It's all political marketing to make consumers continue to feel good about being screwed over more and more by corporate policy following demands of the very wealthy.
Could you please stop posting ideological flamebait to HN? It breaks the guidelines and is not what this site is for.
Re: Maine passes bill to prevent ISPs from selling browsing data without consent
#68Earlier quoted context omitted.
No. Because many businesses rely on data available. FAANG would be out of business then.
AAN actually sell stuff other than hyper-targeted ads. F and G (and AAN) still can sell ads, just less targeted ones. They would suffer a bit (or a bit more), but not outright be forced out of business. And same goes for most if not all other FAANG-tier companies not explicitly included in that acronym. As for the "improving service" angle, e.g. Netflix could ask if it's OK to collect history to improve/personalize r…
Is this a generational thing, or an industry-you're-in blindness thing? Or both? We had an economy, and even advertising (so, so much of it) before spyvertising was such a huge thing. It was fine. The sky did not fall. For some reason there's a set of people who seem to think it'll be the end of the world if we stop letting companies operate private dragnet spy operations.
Re: Maine passes bill to prevent ISPs from selling browsing data without consent
#69Earlier quoted context omitted.
Your consent should be considered an outlier and should not be used to hinder my lack thereof.
I don't think their consent is an outlier. Most users are somewhat ok with selling their data in exchange for free services. I mean I use Gmail, Google Search, Google Maps, etc. etc. knowing they hoover up my data because, in the end, I value the ability to have these services for free more than I care about Google's ability to collect useful statistics about me/its users.
I agree partly with you but I don't think most users know the extend of information collected from those services, if people saw their profiles as really used by google I believe almost all of them would freak out.
Re: Maine passes bill to prevent ISPs from selling browsing data without consent
#70I couldn't find links to the actual bill anywhere so I tracked it down: http://legislature.maine.gov/LawMakerWeb/summary.asp?ID=2800... The summary: "This bill prohibits a provider of broadband Internet access service from using, disclosing, selling or permitting access to customer personal information unless the customer expressly consents to that use, disclosure, sale or access. The bill provides other exceptions u…
Do we now need a Mann act for illegal transfer of protected data across state lines..