Andrew Yang's Data Dividend Project is pushing Big Tech to pay users for data
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Re: Andrew Yang's Data Dividend Project is pushing Big Tech to pay users for data
#2I know it might sound like a minor ding, but the signup form doesn't allow apostrophes or accents in the name fields. Many people (myself included) have these in their legal names. I know this is US focused, but for an org that's all about data, this feels like a big oversight.
For starters, _most_ data-hoarding websites allow these characters these days, so it's just one more obstacle when trying to match and verify "my" data. I guess let's hope I signed up to every website with the same e-mail address?
On a similar note, it also rejected my 5-digit valid zip code as "invalid", so I'm unable to sign up at all.
Re: Andrew Yang's Data Dividend Project is pushing Big Tech to pay users for data
#3[deleted]
Re: Andrew Yang's Data Dividend Project is pushing Big Tech to pay users for data
#4I know it might sound like a minor ding, but the signup form doesn't allow apostrophes or accents in the name fields. Many people (myself included) have these in their legal names. I know this is US focused, but for an org that's all about data, this feels like a big oversight. For starters, _most_ data-hoarding websites allow these characters these days, so it's just one more obstacle when trying to match and verify…
He tweeted about this as an idea a few days ago. It’s possible this was thrown together in a few days by a junior dev. While I’m all for data privacy, there’s much bigger issues I’m personally focused on, like the fact. Breonna Taylor’s murderers are not in jail. Andrew Yang tweeted that his solution would be to make cops wear pink. This guy is a joke.
Re: Andrew Yang's Data Dividend Project is pushing Big Tech to pay users for data
#5I think this is a great idea but measures would have to be taken to prevent Hollywood accounting from erasing payouts to consumers.
Establishing a value for each data point gathered and an ongoing payout from derived data (e.g. training a machine learning model using your search habits should not mean you get nothing if the original data isn't kept) is crucial.
Also, keeping track of all of those payouts would also be a huge burden for even Google, I can't imagine for a small startup. This also needs to be considered so that it doesn't stifle innovation.
Some napkin math: assuming 1 billion MAU for Google Search and around $30B in revenue for Q1 2020, that's $30 in revenue per MAU per quarter or around $120/year. This would be before costs of course and represents the ceiling of what they would be able to pay.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hollywood_accounting
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/04/28/alphabet-googl-earnings-q1-2...
Re: Andrew Yang's Data Dividend Project is pushing Big Tech to pay users for data
#6I'm all for people controlling their data and being fully informed of how it's being used, but I just don't understand the idea that you should be paid for the data that you give to companies when you choose to use their products.
The payment that you get is the products. You don't get a check from Google, but you get to use Google, which is an incredibly useful tool.
I like Yang, but I think he's barking up the wrong tree. We should be focused on giving people control over their data and awareness of how it's being used so they can make informed decisions, not insisting they get paid for it.
Re: Andrew Yang's Data Dividend Project is pushing Big Tech to pay users for data
#7I know it might sound like a minor ding, but the signup form doesn't allow apostrophes or accents in the name fields. Many people (myself included) have these in their legal names. I know this is US focused, but for an org that's all about data, this feels like a big oversight. For starters, _most_ data-hoarding websites allow these characters these days, so it's just one more obstacle when trying to match and verify…
This is another reason why I can't understand anyone who works in software of what is generally thought of as "technology" likes Yang. He does not understand. He likes to talk about "MATH". And while the numbers he uses may work out, I wonder how he acquires those numbers in the first place.
Also, it often seems like he needs "ENGLISH" more than "MATH". Because "technology" is a meaningless word. A carburetor is technology. A ramp is technology. Just about everything is technology in some fashion.
So. We already tax technology, if indirectly, through taxing goods and services.
Then there's the railing against the large targeted-advertising companies (I guess that's what they have most in common). There's technically been a trade already. Our data for their services.
And then there's the fact that he's now doing the thing he's complaining about: data harvesting.
And to top all of that off, the issues you just mentioned. This guy can't even harvest data effectively or efficiently. Or identify people who can. And I'm supposed to trust him to create legislation affecting those companies? Or identify people who can? He has just blatantly demonstrated he does not have those skills.
Re: Andrew Yang's Data Dividend Project is pushing Big Tech to pay users for data
#8In terms of assessing the value of one individual's data, shouldn't there be some consideration for the fact that it's worth nothing to that person on their own? I can't sell my data on the free market. It's a transaction over an object that has value in only one direction.
Re: Andrew Yang's Data Dividend Project is pushing Big Tech to pay users for data
#9I know it might sound like a minor ding, but the signup form doesn't allow apostrophes or accents in the name fields. Many people (myself included) have these in their legal names. I know this is US focused, but for an org that's all about data, this feels like a big oversight. For starters, _most_ data-hoarding websites allow these characters these days, so it's just one more obstacle when trying to match and verify…
At least you can access the page. For a data-org that's red flags all over; how can you trust an organisation that can't even be trusted with data?
Re: Andrew Yang's Data Dividend Project is pushing Big Tech to pay users for data
#10Aren't companies already paying indirectly by providing free service? I am no fan of Facebook but I am using the service free of cost and in return company collects data for targeted advertising.
Shouldn't this be more targeted at cable companies which collect a monthly fee and again sell your data? And may be forcing Big Tech to provide a paid alternative which doesn't use data collected?