Slashdot Mirror
Groups Call For Investigation of MS Ad Service
narramissic writes, "The Center for Digital Democracy and the U.S. Public Interest Research Group have filed a complaint with the FTC, asking for an investigation into Microsoft's use of customer data collection in its adCenter Web advertising service. The groups claim that 'Microsoft has embarked on a wide-ranging data collection and targeting scheme that is deceptive and unfair to millions of users.' Microsoft, for its part, says the groups 'have got it all wrong.'"
I think I'll go off to Google and look up 'eye rolling' to see what friendly vendors might chime in on an organic supplement I might purchase. And if I get any e-mail from my friends on the subject via my gmail box, I'm sure a slightly more targeted ad will help me out even further.
And, if I forget to pursue this until next month, I think I can be comfortable knowing that since Google knows everything, they'll still be there to help me out.
*eyes roll all the way around, back to slashdot*
Doesn't matter! Sue Microsoft! Investigate!
Don't disappoint your bird dog. Go to the range.
Please. There's a very vocal minority who despises Microsoft and those who support them.
I remember the time when Slashdot was Taco's project. He opened the stats to this place, and lo and behold it represented standard traffic patterns. The supposed "linux lovers" were really Windows haters who didn't know how to make Linux usable. If anything, when slashdot was bought, those traffic patterns were removed, so that we cant see that embarrassment.
Aside from that loud minority, most people here are sane, science-loving people. Computers and their application is just a part of it.
Question: Did these groups say anything about Google's AdSense?
Honestly, anybody who looks at those targeted ads must realize that information is being harvested to create them. You know what? Good for them! I'd MUCH rather have a service that finds ads of companies I'm interested in than one which either:
1) Slaps up random ads to dating sites, unrelated services also provided by the host company who's service I'm using, etc.
2) Charges me even slightly to offset costs of data storage, server maintenance, R&D, bandwidth, etc.
There's no place I could be, since I've found Serenity...
I would like to opt-in with one condition. MS should be limited to using only piecharts and spreadsheets on my data. No pivot tables, histograms, or Crystal Reports will be allowed to process my usage information.
I only like my data abused in certain ways for free. If they want to pay for the use of my data with the more powerful tools, I may decide to license them that right. They can call me and we'll negotiate an EULA.
The recent AOL data leak showed that as big or bigger threats can come from our search data. These folks are grandstanding by going after Microsoft and not the other players. They know that no one will criticize them for bashing Microsoft and that others, like Google have better press and have folled more users, and so are tougher targets. Also, as opposed to Google, Microsoft is more sensitive to the criticism because of the past anti-trust issues and are more likely to respond. Google's response to people like content owners who don't like Google's use of their copyrighted materials without permission, have found that Google's reaction is to claim they are doing public good and then fight in court.
The best example of the threat we face to our privacy from all of these folks is Google. Not Google bashing, just pointing out that they are collecting the most data about us. Google is also collecting more of our use and web patterns through Google desktop and toolbar. Add in the fact that they have your cell number, are indexing your email, have your calendar, etc. Our only protection is they sya that their culture is to "do no evil", but we don't know who defines "evil" and what that definition is. What if the Chinese government wants the data? Will Google provide it so they can stay in the market? They caved on filtering.
Whether is is Microsoft, Google, Yahoo or someone else, the more we are online the more we are telling third parties about us and we have no protections about what they do with the data. These folks all have "terms of use" and simply by using their services you've agreed to them, even if you didn't actually read the terms (almost no one does and most don't even see the link). And if you read the TOS you are pretty unlikely to know what they collect and what they do with it.
Good that the discussion is starting, but wrong target. It is really the whole lot of these guys