Reddit this week announced that it will no longer allow Reddit users to opt out of ad personalization, which means that ads on the platform will be...

TL;DR: Reddit is removing the option to opt out of ad personalization, targeting ads based on user activity. Some specific ad categories can still be limited, but there’s no more opt-out option.

  • krimson@feddit.nl
    9·
    1 year ago

    I have the feeling the whole internet is turning into shit rapidly. Youtube is crap, Reddit is crap, everything you use needs a cloud account, my doorbell is sending me notifications about a new product, wtf is up with that. I paid for that thing and now you send me ads? Pisses me off. This corporate greed is getting too much.

    • KlausVonLechland@beehaw.org
      4·
      1 year ago

      There are upsides to it, like me spending considerably less time on the random internet surfing because my annoyance overshadows my dopamine kick.

    • explodicle@local106.comEnglish
      3·
      1 year ago

      IMHO it’s cyclical.

      • Computers started out client server because of limited computing capacity
      • Then everybody got a PC and for a while, physical media were faster than downloads
      • Then we got oodles of bandwidth, so servers seemed practical again
      • Now servers are taking advantage of the trust we’ve placed in them
      • Next, we’ll all enjoy a brief P2P revolution. Hooray!
      • After that, homomorphic encryption will make servers seem appealing again
      • Even farther into the future, the attacks against that encryption will no longer be tolerable

      It will be decades more before humanity accepts the teachings of Richard Stallman.

    • FiniteLooper@lemm.eeEnglish
      2·
      1 year ago

      It’s really accelerated in the past few years. It’s nearly impossible to just read an article or use any product without giving it some kind of information. Lots of people (myself included many times unfortunately) just accept this. I mean, what can be done? If you want or need to use the thing you almost have no choice. If you want to avoid information leaks or being tracked you have to do so much research and work just to find an option, and then hope they don’t get purchased by a company that will reverse it all. I hate it.

      • ono@lemmy.caEnglish
        2·
        1 year ago

        I mean, what can be done? If you want or need to use the thing you almost have no choice.

        We have to act collectively.

        1. Don’t buy products or use services that require personal info. Of course, this means being willing to make do without some things, at least until they’re convinced/forced to change or alternatives appear. In cases where the thing is a necessity, push back (clearly, articulately, and firmly) before sharing your info. Let them know that they’re losing goodwill by being nosy, and that you’ll stop buying from them as soon as you can.
        2. Look for products/services that respect our privacy, and support them when possible.
        3. Pass legislation that forbids needlessly collecting such info. Some regions (e.g. European Union, California) have already taken small steps in this direction. We need to take it further, everywhere.

        I think it might also be helpful to have some kind of (independently verified) privacy labeling program for products and services. It would ease some of the burden from consumers when shopping around, and could become an easy marketing tool for companies that want to attract customers.

        • dom@lemmy.ca
          1·
          1 year ago

          Honestly, number 3 is the only thing that would have marginal impact. Consumers don’t have the time and energy to research every product to the depth required foe the first two.

          • ono@lemmy.caEnglish
            0·
            1 year ago

            Consumers don’t have the time and energy to research every product to the depth required foe the first two.

            You don’t need to go on a research project to see the personal info fields in a sign-up form.

            For more complicated stuff, a labeling program would help.

            • dom@lemmy.ca
              0·
              1 year ago

              On some products, these steps occur after you’ve purchased and opened the product and are setting it up.

              • ono@lemmy.caEnglish
                1·
                1 year ago

                1a. Exercise your right to return things that have invasive hidden requirements.

                (And this is another area where a labeling program would help.)

      • krimson@feddit.nl
        0·
        1 year ago

        Yes it’s hard to deal with. I try to do my best to boycot companies that do this. Youtube, Reddit, Google search and chrome are things I don’t use anymore and the list keeps growing. My next doorbell will be a different brand but choices are limited ofcourse.

        On the other hand, there are more and more alternatives popping up lately, Mastodon, Lemmy, Peertube. This is a sign that people are getting tired of this shit. I hope this trend continues.

        • dan@upvote.au
          2·
          1 year ago

          For a doorbell, get one that can work entirely locally, ideally that supports ONVIF for the video feed, and use it with Home Assistant.

          I don’t have a fancy doorbell, but I use Blue Iris, Home Assistant and Node-RED for my security cameras. Works well, including notifications when a person is detected, and everything is local. When I want to watch the cameras remotely, I connect to a VPN into my home.