Ask HN: Should we own the free stuff we pay for?

Re:Ask HN: Should we own the free stuff we pay for? by rglullis on Tuesday February 15, 2022 @11:33AM (#30348726)

I replied in the other thread. The flaw in your argument is that the only way for "better advertisement" is through personal data selling.

Brave's model has shown that you can have a ad distribution system that gives more power to the users, the ads are still relevant, fraud is much more easily detected and it can still reward the users for their attention.

With zero knowledge proofs, you can even have a system where the advertisers only get to show ads for those that match certain criteria, but no personal data needs to be given away.

If you are working on anything that depends on direct exploitation of user data, I urge to go back to the drawing board and seriously consider the morality of it.

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Re:Ask HN: Should we own the free stuff we pay for? by hackerfromthefu on Tuesday February 15, 2022 @09:35PM (#30355720)

Fully agreed with the last paragraph - consider the morality of direct exploitation of user data, and the risks that it is used in ways not originally intended. Maybe read some history too such as McCarthyism, Stalinism and many related instances throughout history. This data exploitation that has swept through the world has the potential to be a terrible nightmare in the making.

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