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Google and Apple Weaseling Out of "Do Not Track"

Posted by timothy on from the except-for-the-following-circumstances dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Per an op-ed in today's New York Times, Google, Apple, and others would be effectively exempt from "Do not track": "[T]he rules would allow the largest Internet giants to continue scooping up data about users on their own sites and on other sites that include their plug-ins, such as Facebook's 'Like' button or an embedded YouTube video. This giant loophole would make 'Do Not Track' meaningless."

4 of 145 comments (clear)

  1. Weasle by Cowclops · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Weaseling out of things is what separates us from the animals! Except the weasel...

  2. There's no such thing as a free lunch by twitnutttt · · Score: 5, Insightful

    "A study commissioned by the Interactive Advertising Bureau with researchers from Harvard Business School underscores the point: at least half of the Internet’s economic value is based on the collection of individual user data, and nearly all commercial content on the Internet relies on advertising to some extent. Digital advertising grew to a $42.8 billion business last year, a sum that already exceeds spending on broadcast television advertising."

    One way or another, you pay for your free Internet services.

  3. Do not do anything ... by BarbaraHudson · · Score: 5, Insightful

    "Do not do anything that you don't want to see on the front page of the New York Times", has included "or Google searches" for quite some time.

    Assume there are no secrets on the Internet; any other expectation is unrealistically optimistic.

    --
    "Transparent" is a shit show that trades on every stereotype going. A man in drag is NOT a transsexual.
  4. Do Not Track never meant anything by beakerMeep · · Score: 5, Insightful

    "Do Not Track" never meant anything at all. It's the equivalent of a "Please be nice to me" button.

    We need technical solutions to make fingerprinting harder/impossible. Especially the canvas/font techniques.

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    meep