News for hackers. Stuff that matters.
Re:Google cracks down on VPN based adblockers by matkoniecz on Monday August 29, 2022 @09:13AM (#32637780)
> As a result, less and less of the independent web is getting traffic

Tracking cookies are not mandatory. You are not obligated to present cookie banner: you can simply drop nonessential cookies.

Re:Google cracks down on VPN based adblockers by cft on Monday August 29, 2022 @09:36AM (#32638050)
Getting money for running websites is also non-mandatory? Are we going to fund them from the government 5-year plans yet? Our hosting expenses alone are 8k per month.
Re:Google cracks down on VPN based adblockers by denton-scratch on Monday August 29, 2022 @09:55AM (#32638281)
> Getting money for running websites is also non-mandatory?

Your business problems aren't our concern. If you're financing your business by stealing personal information from users and selling it to data brokers, then you're a crook. Crooks tend to have high hosting expenses.

Re:Google cracks down on VPN based adblockers by cft on Monday August 29, 2022 @10:08AM (#32638444)
"Our" as in Robespierre's Committee of Public Safety concern? What do you know about hosting expenses? I have been running a website that you know and use with 100m users since 2004!
Re:Google cracks down on VPN based adblockers by denton-scratch on Monday August 29, 2022 @11:56AM (#32639740)
> I have been running a website that you know and use with 100m users since 2004

The only website that you know I use is this one. Are you saying that you run HN? I do not think you are that person.

If that's not the site you're referring to, I'm rather curious to know what site it is that you run, that's had 100m users since 2004(!), that can correlate a site user with this HN user. Will you tell, please?

Re:Google cracks down on VPN based adblockers by ohgodplsno on Monday August 29, 2022 @10:57AM (#32639088)
The CSP has never been Robespierre's "property" and took decisions as a, well, committee.

And yes, your expenses aren't our problem. Don't run a website if you can't pay for it.

Re:Google cracks down on VPN based adblockers by int_19h on Tuesday August 30, 2022 @04:41PM (#32654772)
"Our" as in all the people who don't want to be tracked.
Re:Google cracks down on VPN based adblockers by sofixa on Monday August 29, 2022 @09:43AM (#32638138)
You can serve ads without tracking users across sites/apps to gain revenue. Not to mention other income generating activities such as partnerships, subscriptions, donations, etc.
Re:Google cracks down on VPN based adblockers by cft on Monday August 29, 2022 @10:15AM (#32638536)
Those ads will give you 10% of the RPM of the ads that track.
Re:Google cracks down on VPN based adblockers by denton-scratch on Monday August 29, 2022 @12:06PM (#32639857)
Fencing stolen car stereos provides a better return than retailing legit electronics. Does that make laws against receiving stolen property an infringement of your freedom to do business?

I don't have much sympathy for your predicament. Perhaps the market has a better use for your hosting facility than pumping out ads and tracking scripts.

Re:Google cracks down on VPN based adblockers by hedora on Monday August 29, 2022 @12:03PM (#32639819)
Publishers get 96% as much revenue per impression for non-targeted display ads:

https://techcrunch.com/2019/05/31/targeted-ads-offer-little-...

The ad networks get a lot more for tracking based ads, and the advertisers supposedly get more conversions (though targeting fraud is a real, well-documented thing).

Re:Google cracks down on VPN based adblockers by PeterisP on Monday August 29, 2022 @02:42PM (#32641868)
People have a right to privacy. Your business doesn't have a right to profit. It's that simple.

If following the requirements of society makes your business unprofitable, too bad, having a business is optional, following the requirements of society is not.

Re:Google cracks down on VPN based adblockers by yjftsjthsd-h on Monday August 29, 2022 @10:49AM (#32638969)
> Getting money for running websites is also non-mandatory?

Correct. I've only run a handful of websites in my life, but not one of them has ever served ads.

Re:Google cracks down on VPN based adblockers by matkoniecz on Monday August 29, 2022 @11:08AM (#32639209)
Github.com is example of website capable of limiting themself to nonessential cookies.
Re:Google cracks down on VPN based adblockers by throw_a_grenade on Monday August 29, 2022 @10:20AM (#32638616)
Yes, it's not mandatory. In fact, running sites themselves is not mandatory, so if you can't find a way to run a site which respects its users, then I'd argue you should fail. That's the free market at its finest.