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Browsing your website does not mean I want your spam (2016)

artplusmarketing.com

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Re: Browsing your website does not mean I want your spam (2016)

#11
post #7
post #4

That and the fact that any app you download now adds you to their newsletter list. Just because I wanted to try your app, it doesn't mean I want to get tons e-mails from your company. It's so frustrating I stopped trying apps, and instead only download what I really need and/or trust.

The App Store doesn't share the customer's email with the app developer, how does this happen?

Android.

Until Marshmallow it had no permission system at all - every app gets access to everything it wants. That's every contact's full details, your full details, all your SMS messages, your location at all times, your email address (you could see a list of what they access, at least, but couldn't stop them).

It finally became more iOS-like in Marshmallow, but first your phone has to actually get the update, then the app has to actually update to target Marshmallow or above. It doesn't retroactively apply to older apps, and Google didn't enforce that apps start supporting it - they only have to if they want to use Marshmallow specific features.

(You do have the option of manually blocking access in Settings, but you have to actively do it for every app before the app ever runs, and you'll get warnings that the app might simply break).

It's something I've frequently pointed to when Android users said that "Android gets everything first". I was enjoying my permission system back in 2008.

It's the main reason I use an iPhone, it's actually why I switched back after some time using Android (after the iPhone finally got custom keyboards). Finally, as more and more apps update, Android will become viable for me again. However, I still take issue with having to put my real name on app reviews on Android.

Re: Browsing your website does not mean I want your spam (2016)

#12
> They are able to do this because sears.com loads Criteo code and uses a criteo.com cookie

> there may not be much you can do about this besides blocking cookies

Most browsers let you block 3rd-party cookies without blocking all cookies (in this case, blocking the the criteo.com cookie but not the sears.com cookie, when on sears.com): https://www.maketecheasier.com/disable-third-party-cookies-c...

Re: Browsing your website does not mean I want your spam (2016)

#13

I completely agree that this is an abhorrent practice, but I don't believe that legislation is the answer. Just because someone annoys you, does not mean you need to involve legal precedent.

What is the answer then?

Re: Browsing your website does not mean I want your spam (2016)

#15
post #4

That and the fact that any app you download now adds you to their newsletter list. Just because I wanted to try your app, it doesn't mean I want to get tons e-mails from your company. It's so frustrating I stopped trying apps, and instead only download what I really need and/or trust.

Have you ever tried to make a business out of selling an app online or in an app store? How did you get users?

I definitely don't agree with "tons" of e-mails but a few promotional emails is understandable. I also don't agree with the tactics used in the article, to be clear.

Re: Browsing your website does not mean I want your spam (2016)

#16
post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The App Store doesn't share the customer's email with the app developer, how does this happen?

Android. Until Marshmallow it had no permission system at all - every app gets access to everything it wants. That's every contact's full details, your full details, all your SMS messages, your location at all times, your email address (you could see a list of what they access, at least, but couldn't stop them). It finally became more iOS-like in Marshmallow, but first your phone has to actually get the update, then…

Android pre-M had a permission system, it's just that the permissions had to be granted by the user when the app was installed (or updated, if there was a change). Many or most users didn't read the warnings or didn't care. I'd wager most users don't read the new permission dialogs, either, but what're ya gonna do.

Re: Browsing your website does not mean I want your spam (2016)

#17
Maybe I added it at some point, but "criteo.com" is blocked by uBlock on my machine.

Anyway, it's baffling to me that people still defend web advertising. That "industry" is far sleazier and shadier than spammers, but for some reason people here will defend web ads.

Re: Browsing your website does not mean I want your spam (2016)

#18
post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Android. Until Marshmallow it had no permission system at all - every app gets access to everything it wants. That's every contact's full details, your full details, all your SMS messages, your location at all times, your email address (you could see a list of what they access, at least, but couldn't stop them). It finally became more iOS-like in Marshmallow, but first your phone has to actually get the update, then…

Android pre-M had a permission system, it's just that the permissions had to be granted by the user when the app was installed (or updated, if there was a change). Many or most users didn't read the warnings or didn't care. I'd wager most users don't read the new permission dialogs, either, but what're ya gonna do.

It had a "permission system" that in effect did not provide the user with any practical choice. The non-choice was between "install this app and give everything it wants (even in the background)" and "piss off".

Re: Browsing your website does not mean I want your spam (2016)

#19

> They are able to do this because sears.com loads Criteo code and uses a criteo.com cookie > there may not be much you can do about this besides blocking cookies Most browsers let you block 3rd-party cookies without blocking all cookies (in this case, blocking the the criteo.com cookie but not the sears.com cookie, when on sears.com): https://www.maketecheasier.com/disable-third-party-cookies-c...

Does this actually count as a third-party cookie if the sears page loads criteo in an iframe (which may be 1px by 1px, and tell criteo that it was invoked by sears)?

Re: Browsing your website does not mean I want your spam (2016)

#20

Maybe I added it at some point, but " criteo.com " is blocked by uBlock on my machine. Anyway, it's baffling to me that people still defend web advertising. That "industry" is far sleazier and shadier than spammers, but for some reason people here will defend web ads.

I think most people here are defending "web ads qua web ads" (i.e. a picture in a box on a page that doesn't track you or start dancing around your screen), not the realities of most web advertising today. I think it's sad that business models that are based on non-intrusive web ads are becoming increasingly infeasible, but I certainly don't blame users for the current state of affairs.
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