How do I permanently delete my account?

Re:How do I permanently delete my account? by djrogers on Friday November 24, 2017 @12:11AM (#15769531)

Watch how you use those words - if one defines ‘better’ and ‘worse’ in the context of my privacy, then ads that don’t do creepy things are better.

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Re:How do I permanently delete my account? by PhasmaFelis on Friday November 24, 2017 @12:28AM (#15769595)

Don't underestimate how bad bad ads can be. I turned off targeted advertising on my Android phone for a while. The result was that around 50% of ad banners I saw were ultra-spammy strobing things--presumably the only ones that will pay for untargeted ads--making apps with built-in ad banners essentially unusable. I wound up changing back. That may have been the intention.

(An Android ad blocker would probably work best, but getting one running on my ancient phone was more hassle than I wanted.)

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Re:How do I permanently delete my account? by e12e on Friday November 24, 2017 @01:23AM (#15769751)

Curious - what apps do you use that has apps, but doesn't have a paid option (that you are willing to pay for)?

I rarely see ads on my android (I do use ad blocker for Web browsing).

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Re:How do I permanently delete my account? by PhasmaFelis on Friday November 24, 2017 @06:27AM (#15770544)

Small-time games, mostly.

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Re:How do I permanently delete my account? by dredmorbius on Friday November 24, 2017 @01:33AM (#15769777)

Recognise that the ad platform itself has an incentive to pump absolute bilge at you.

I have an incentive to block that as hard as humanly, or computationally, possible.

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Re:How do I permanently delete my account? by Buge on Friday November 24, 2017 @08:01PM (#15773855)

They have an incentive to give you ads you will click on. If you're not going to click on it, then there's a disincentive to show it to you.

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Re:How do I permanently delete my account? by dredmorbius on Saturday November 25, 2017 @03:53AM (#15775100)

There are two possible transactions: selling you ads, or selling you to a better class of advertisers.

I see parallels to the 3rd class rail (or coach-class air) problem. If you improve the conditions of the lowest service class, nobody upgrades to higher levels of service. So the lowest class is intentionally bad.

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Re:How do I permanently delete my account? by BigJono on Friday November 24, 2017 @12:16AM (#15769547)

Is there anything inherently bad about a site using your data to serve you more relevant ads, as long as your data is not passed on to a 3rd party?

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Re:How do I permanently delete my account? by e12e on Friday November 24, 2017 @01:20AM (#15769740)

I'd say that highly targeted ads are harmful, as it's more likely to undermine the viewer (eg: political ads tweaked based on current family situation/emergencies derived from data mining). Eg: target people who recently lost loved ones to an attack by one of our times typical "lone gunmen" by ads advertising increased surveillance as a way to mitigate "terrorist" attacks.

Or substituting in first names of friends in paid content ("<person with same name as your friend> give the following reasons to vote x!/buy this").

Not to mention that if advertising works - then it undermines the idea of a free marked where purchases are made by informed independent agents (I think that's a fantasy anyway, but it seems to be a somewhat popular idea).

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Re:How do I permanently delete my account? by danieldk on Friday November 24, 2017 @01:54AM (#15769835)

Is there anything inherently bad about a site using your data to serve you more relevant ads, as long as your data is not passed on to a 3rd party?

Is there anything inherently bad about a stalker passively observing and recording your every move, as long as they don't disturb your daily routine or pass the data along?

Even if you find the stalking behavior (cross-site tracking) of ad companies acceptable, there is a significant risk that your data leaks or is stolen. So, I should be able to decide who I trust with saving intimate data and who I don't.

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Re:How do I permanently delete my account? by djrogers on Friday November 24, 2017 @12:39AM (#15769628)

Show me a site that gathers data about me directly, transparently, and without any creepy cross-site tracking, and I’ll consider your question. Unfortunately that’s not how anyone works.

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Re:How do I permanently delete my account? by icebraining on Friday November 24, 2017 @01:55AM (#15769837)

Except we know that not passing data is a pipe dream. Between hacks and governmental abuses, no company can promise that, no matter how honest they are.

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Re:How do I permanently delete my account? by DonHopkins on Friday November 24, 2017 @12:18AM (#15769552)

It's been looking really creepy after I purchased a Plush Cuddle Death Star, because now it keeps showing several repeated ads for them right next to each other. I already have one, and now they want me to buy a whole cuddly fleet of them! Oddly enough, I haven't seen any ads for the R2D2 mug I ordered with it.

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