alt Hacker NewsI guess it's pretty much impossible to stop these companies from gathering data, there's too much money in it, it's too easy to implement, and there's no cohesive force to stop them. I'm wondering whether a crowdfunded effort to feed fake data into these systems would work so we overwhelm them and make their plans a bit more difficult.
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it is possible through legislation. slap them with the fine equal to their two previous years ebita combined and all this stops within an hour. of course not like people that need to pass a legislation aren’t bought for a fraction of that.
these things are why frequent comments on HN that go “this company is not using our data for training, it is in ToS etc…” makes me literally LOL.
Please spend 5 seconds thinking about this. It isn't impossible, it isn't earnestly valuable now that gambling has taken ad fraud's throne (guess what the throne is for), and fake data doesn't work.
Faking data is a good method, but has issues it seems.
Moxie tried that with GoogleSharing system back in the day.
Not really sure what the biggest downsides were, but it was discontinued.
American legal system will curb stomp any tiny company on the other side of the world if they dare to draw an outline of Mickey Mouse, and you're saying that this same nation can't stop big abusive companies?
Participating in the extraction economy is certainly a choice.
Young people complain about being worse off than their parents. Sure, the income gap has exploded, and there are many factors that are making things worse, but what exacerbates this is our complacency.
First, people are just more miserable in general because everyone on social media seems to be living the "Miata life", to quote "Workaholics".
Do you see any starter homes being built? I don't. All I see is starter mansions. Everyone thinks they are entitled to one at 26, while THEIR parents lived in a starter home until they could afford something bigger, at 45.
Secondly, and it's more to the point - spending money has never been easier. Want. Click. Get. Within hours. All this tech revenue is coming from somewhere.
What was the last time you audited your subscriptions? How much do you spend per year? If you watch two shows and a couple of movies on a streaming service, is it really worth the $240 per year? Do you listen to 12 books per year to justify the $180 Audible subscription just to break with the a la carte price? And so on. This stuff adds up. But, sure, it's CONVENIENT. These companies are counting on your laziness.
Become a responsible consumer, refuse to participate in being a product. Yes, I know, it takes effort and focus, but it's not like we do no have the power to walk away.
In the attention economy you have to vote with your attention.
Block, ignore, disengage from, and scorn any software or service that behaves this way.
Make fun of your friends when they use these apps and use peer pressure to dissuade them from using them. These services need to be uncool.
Be the change you want to see. Research alternatives. Provide alternatives. Make alternatives easier, better, and cooler.
Choose principles over convenience and encourage your peers to do the same.
"The only winning move is not to play."
If you look at these systems that same way some people look at casinos - places specifically designed to take your money - you realize there isn't a way to change them nor improve your overall experience with them. You just don't go inside. I'm kinda hoping that it becomes the trend in the next few decades to completely abandon these algorithm-driven data-hoarding attention-stealing apps. I've been calling it "digital hygiene", personally.