Tracking unique visitors without cookies

I'm sure someone in the ad industry will tell you that the internet is powered by ad revenue, it's what keeps it free and open, what makes services better.

Re: Tracking unique visitors without cookies

#6

Post by fragmede » Mon, Jul 13, 2026, 8:41 AM UTC

close04 wrote: post #5

voidUpdate wrote: post #4

What if we just don't track people? Crazy idea, I know...

I'm sure someone in the ad industry will tell you that the internet is powered by ad revenue, it's what keeps it free and open, what makes services better.

I'm not in the advertising business, but people want free shit and don't want to pay for it. How do you suggest it get paid for if not advertising?

Re: Tracking unique visitors without cookies

#7

Post by ptx » Mon, Jul 13, 2026, 8:47 AM UTC

Next up: Stabbing people without a knife.

If you are tracking people without a lawful basis (e.g. consent), you are violating the GDPR. It doesn't matter if you use cookies. (The article does mention this towards the end.)

Re: Tracking unique visitors without cookies

#8

Post by ehnto » Mon, Jul 13, 2026, 8:53 AM UTC

fragmede wrote: post #6

close04 wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm sure someone in the ad industry will tell you that the internet is powered by ad revenue, it's what keeps it free and open, what makes services better.

I'm not in the advertising business, but people want free shit and don't want to pay for it. How do you suggest it get paid for if not advertising?

There are other business models, it depends on what you're building. For a while almost everything coming out of SV was destined to be advertising real estate. Now I think there's more interesting businesses going on. We'll keep strip mining attention to push plastic trinkets into container ships, certainly. Probably no stopping that.

Re: Tracking unique visitors without cookies

#9

Post by fragmede » Mon, Jul 13, 2026, 8:58 AM UTC

ehnto wrote: post #8

fragmede wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not in the advertising business, but people want free shit and don't want to pay for it. How do you suggest it get paid for if not advertising?

There are other business models, it depends on what you're building. For a while almost everything coming out of SV was destined to be advertising real estate. Now I think there's more interesting businesses going on. We'll keep strip mining attention to push plastic trinkets into container ships, certainly. Probably no stopping that.

For plastic trinkets, at least 3D printing has this recycliability to it. PLA-only prints can be broken down into PLA filament with the right machinery. It's not home desktop machinery, but the theory is there.

Re: Tracking unique visitors without cookies

#10

Post by voidUpdate » Mon, Jul 13, 2026, 8:59 AM UTC

close04 wrote: post #5

voidUpdate wrote: post #4

What if we just don't track people? Crazy idea, I know...

I'm sure someone in the ad industry will tell you that the internet is powered by ad revenue, it's what keeps it free and open, what makes services better.

I thought the internet was powered by paying your ISPs bill