Data privacy is all the rage and people want to have an internet where companies need permission to sell your data and where you can use the FREE service without letting them tell advertisers what you actually like.

There are only 2 possible models for the internet

  1. A free internet where websites, browsers and search engines make money by selling your data to companies who want to sell their products to users.

  2. A subscription based internet where you companies don’t use your data but charge a fee to use a specific website, browser or search engine.

I can guarantee that all these people complaining about “muh privacy” would not like having a paywall restricted internet.

  • lmmarsano@lemmynsfw.comEnglish
    12·
    1 day ago

    Apart from identity theft safeguards, the fuss over data privacy of metadata that was never private and voluntary information (especially information that could be found in a phonebook or gathered from public observation) always seemed overblown & misguided. I know

    • the internet wasn’t designed for privacy
    • they have my internet address whenever I connect
    • they can track my usage of their free service
    • they have the information I provided
    • they can coordinate with partners
    • I’m consenting by using their free service

    so why should I act surprised when they do what should be expected to offer that free service? People who do that strike me as a special kind of stupid: do they think the world just runs on magic?

    Free shit in exchange for mostly worthless information & ads I ignore seems like an obvious bargain, but what do I know? Let’s stir everyone into a frenzy to bitch & moan about the ravages of targeted advertising.

    • thatonecoder@lemmy.caEnglish
      1·
      23 hours ago

      It is not a bargain, because not only can it be used against you in the future (e.g., an oppressive regime, EVEN if you’re in another country), or someone you know. Furthermore, many of these companies track your usage of other services, regardless of whether you use that company’s services or not.

      • lmmarsano@lemmynsfw.comEnglish
        1·
        15 hours ago

        I don’t know, man. I assume they have information they may find in a phonebook; data I voluntarily gave social media & networking such as my school or employment, demographics, relations, peers, & whatever they can glean from peers; my shopping preferences; rough geolocation from my IP address; my ISP, OS, web browser, content I’ve browsed. None of this information is particularly valuable to me. It would take incredible effort for me to code & host a search engine or social media site or the various other free web applications I use. I value those way more than my junk data that is worthless to me, so the trade-off is obvious.

        The government has access to much more sensitive information about me: social security; government issued licenses & registrations; birth, education, tax, property, police, medical, telecommunication, financial records. Only the law & procedure prevents it from abusing that access.

        Without online data brokers, anyone could gather much of the same, less sensitive information about me though plain observation, public surveillance, or interviews: only time & effort discourages them. Seems like a lack of perspective.