Re: [projectvrm] An incentive to be somewhat VRM-y

[Don Marti < >]

begin John Wunderlich quotation of Tue, Feb 24, 2015 at 10:51:59AM -0500:

> Are we seeing the nanny state being overtaken by the nanny corporation?

No. Your ISP, software vendors, and online services
you use are all trying to collect surveillance
marketing data.  Each of them has an incentive to
prevent the others from collecting it.  So if you
run AT&T you want to give away an access point that
breaks Facebook tracking, if you run Google you want
to give away connections at Starbucks to prevent AT&T
tracking, if you run Microsoft you want to remove
MS-Windows adware, if you run a car review site you
want to protect users from ad network tracking so that
advertisers have to buy ads through you to reach car
shoppers, and so on.

The reason that I'm an optimist on all this stuff is
that there are more commercial interests _against_
any given surveillance marketing activity than there
are for it.  The current situation is unstable.

Don

> 
> 
> John Wunderlich
> Privacist @PrivacyCDN
> 
> On 24 February 2015 at 08:29, T.Rob 
> <
 >
>  wrote:
> 
> > According to Help Net Security, Google Chrome users now see a giant red
> > box when clicking on search results that lead to web sites "geared towards
> > delivering adware, 'helpful' toolbars, and other unwanted software."
> >
> >
> >
> > They go on to explain that "deceptive sites will also be clearly labeled
> > as such when they turn up in Google search results.  And, finally, Google
> > ads for these sites will be disabled by Google itself."
> >
> > http://iopt.us/1B8vEz8
> >
> > http://www.google.com/about/company/unwanted-software-policy.html?hl=en
> >
> >
> >
> > At the page linked below, Google lays out their criteria for "unwanted"
> > software:
> >
> >
> >
> > We’ve found that most unwanted software displays one or more of the same
> > basic characteristics:
> >
> >
> >
> > ·       It is deceptive, promising a value proposition that it does not
> > meet.
> >
> > ·       It tries to trick users into installing it or it piggybacks on
> > the installation of another program.
> >
> > ·       It doesn’t tell the user about all of its principal and
> > significant functions.
> >
> > ·       It affects the user’s system in unexpected ways.
> >
> > ·       It is difficult to remove.
> >
> > ·       It collects or transmits private information without the user’s
> > knowledge.
> >
> > ·       It is bundled with other software and its presence is not
> > disclosed.
> >
> >
> >
> > http://iopt.us/1Gos4RI
> >
> > http://www.net-security.org/secworld.php?id=17996
> >
> >
> >
> > On the one hand, this provides a strong incentive for transparency and
> > fair dealing by software vendors and web sites if it applied consistently.
> > On the other hand, does anyone here believe it will be applied
> > consistently?  Every time I update Java I'm told how many billions of
> > devices it runs on, right before the screen where it tries to install
> > whatever toolbar Oracle is hucking these days.  Somehow I don't imagine
> > Google throwing this warning up in front of Oracle's web site when I 
> > search
> > for "Java update" but I suppose I have to now install Chrome and test it.
> > However, Joe's Widgets had better not do the exact same thing.
> >
> >
> >
> > Kind regards,
> >
> > -- T.Rob
> >
> >
> >
> > I have availability! For a good time (with IBM MQ) call:
> >
> > T.Robert Wyatt, Managing partner
> >
> > IoPT Consulting, LLC
> >
> > +1 704-443-TROB (8762) Voice/Text
> >
> > +44 (0) 8714 089 546  Voice
> >
> > https://ioptconsulting.com
> >
> > https://twitter.com/tdotrob
> >
> >
> >
> 
> -- 
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-- 
Don Marti                    
http://zgp.org/~dmarti/