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Re: [projectvrm] Fwd: Introducing Better


Chronological Thread 
  • From: Doc Searls < >
  • To: Frank Ramirez < >
  • Cc: Adrian Gropper < >, ProjectVRM list < >
  • Subject: Re: [projectvrm] Fwd: Introducing Better
  • Date: Fri, 3 Jun 2016 14:21:59 -0400

On Jun 3, 2016, at 12:42 PM, Frank Ramirez < " class=""> > wrote:

Respectfully the problem is that your data has value that other people can commercialize. Take away the carrot and there is no need for a stick.

There are different kinds of advertising. Most of the advertising aimed by harvested personal data is what was called direct marketing in the pre-internet world. 

Don and I (among others, such as Bob Hoffman aka Ad Contrarian) have been trying to make this distinction for some time. Some links:


Advertising is needed and good it’s just not implemented correctly because of the commercial interests of ad technology companies is not aligned with the consumer or the vendors they purportedly serve.

Quite right.

In the last couple of weeks I’ve had a number of conversations (all confidential) with people in and around the adtech world, and it is clear that the bubble is about to burst, if it hasn’t already.

I wrote about this about a month ago: 


The signs are just stronger now.

More links: 
The rest, from all my just-closed tabs:


Doc

 
Frank
 
 
 
 
Aral is one of us.
 
Here’s his main site: https://ind.ie/
 
I just added it to our Privacy Protection list. Also did the same for heartbeat, his pre-alpha private messaging app.
 
 
Doc
 
 
 

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Aral Balkan < " style="color: purple; text-decoration: underline;" class=""> >
Date: Fri, Jun 3, 2016 at 11:05 AM
Subject: Introducing Better
To: Adrian Gropper < " style="color: purple; text-decoration: underline;" class=""> >

Better running on iPad and iPhone
Hi everyone,
Laura and I have spent the last eight months working on a new app that we’re excited to release today. It’s called Better and it’s a content blocker for iPhone and iPad.
Better is not an ad blocker.
The problem isn’t advertising; it’s behavioural advertising.

The problem is tracking.

Screenshot from Better showing 172 trackers, clickbait and web bugs
Better protects you from trackers, clickbait, and other similar web malware. The statistics here are from just one site, LifeBuzz.com, which is possibly the worst site on the web).
Better is a tracker blocker. It is a web malware blocker. Our goal is to make the web safer, lighter, and faster in line with the principles of ethical design.
Better is free as in freedom, transparent, and open.
Better isn’t yet another indecipherable list of blocking rules cobbled together from various sources. It’s encyclopaedia-style entries on trackers and editorial spotlights. We research and document trackers to create an educational resource and raise public awareness. That resource, via the iPhone and iPad app, becomes a tool to protect ourselves from tracking.
Screenshot from Better showing the site is 16.9x safer, 4.0x lighter, and 15.8x faster
Better makes LifeBuzz – possibly the worst site on the web – safer, lighter and faster.

Does the world need yet another content blocker?

We feel that it does: a principled one.
One that works for you, not for the advertising industry.
One that cannot be bought.
One that fights back when our ability to defend ourselves is threatened.
One that acknowledges and supports those who are trying to do the right thing.

Let’s make the web better.

Better is different, because we are different.
We do not work for the advertising industry. We work for you.
We are a two-person-and-one-husky social enterprise working for social justice in the digital age.
Our business model is simple: we sell Better on the App Store. If enough people buy it, we subsist and continue to work on Better and Heartbeat.
The launch of Better marks a new chapter in the history of Ind.ie. After two years, it is our first product available to the general public. It is also our hope for reaching sustainability.
We appreciate your support and continued friendship.
Thank you for helping us make the web better.
With love,
Aral and Laura
PS. Please tell your friends about Better – we need all the help we can get to spread the word! :)
You can also read our blog posts on our blog. Read this newsletter in your browser.
PPS. If you ever want to get in touch with us, just email  " target="_blank" style="color: purple; text-decoration: underline;" class=""> . (And don’t forget to follow @indie for smaller, more frequent updates and related news.) :)
PPPS. If you’d rather not receive any more updates from Indie, just follow this link to unsubscribe.



-- 
 
Adrian Gropper MD

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