That is a very lucid report, thanks.
But in the end the hobbyists who are online sharing their alternative views and who are truly passionate about their message rather than making money
will still prevail regardless of legislation for advertising.
I am not worried at this time, on the contrary, this will weed out the true truthseekers from the profiteers.
Bring it on.
[edit on 17-6-2009 by Truth4hire]
The Government's Plan To Kill Independent Web Sites, page 1
privacy
Topic started on 17-6-2009 @ 01:08 PM by mister.old.school
"They" are scared -- scared of the seismic shift in media. The power lost by the media giants is terrifying. Well-established filters of
information, painstakingly crafted over decades of manipulation and control, are being shattered by small independent web sites. "Free speech" has
secretly been a right granted only to the chosen few who play the game and contribute to political campaigns.
"They" are panic-striken -- in a panic over you, the millions of people being given free reign to say what you want on web sites outside the traditional channels of control. To "them", "free speech" is an abstract concept not intended to be entrusted to anyone with a computer and a keyboard. You do not play the game, you are a disruptor, you are unwanted, you must be removed.
Who are "they" and "them"? The government, of course. But more specifically, the representatives and senators living in the back-pockets of media and telecommunications giants -- with a smattering of the stunningly small number of power-weilders fixated on rolling back to a mix of media that can be controlled and manipulated to feed you the mental pabulum that keeps you sedated.
Fortunately for us, "they" have a face, and the face of our enemy is Representative Rick Boucher (democrat from Virginia), the new chairman of the House Subcommittee tasked with telecommunications technology and the Internet. This enemy of free expression, living comfortably in the back pockets of big media and telecommunications, is planning to craft legislation designed to obliterate millions of independent voices on the Internet and shift power back into the hands of big media and big telcom.
Oh, but that's impossible, you might say, free speech on the Internet has blossomed to a proportion where thoughts of control or destruction are absurd. Well my friends, I'm here to warn you that such absurdity is very much a reality. And, worse yet, the spin doctors and manipulative conspiracy of information obfuscation may even cause many of you to be in favor of the legislation that kills accessible free speech on the Internet.
Congress To Grill Web Companies Thursday
A Call to Legislate Internet Privacy
Online Behavioral Targeting Targeted by Feds, Critics
Infuriatingly disguised as "online privacy advocacy", Boucher is, in reality, a big media hatchet-man, devising the genocide of the Internet culture. Given the rampant abuse of the Government collusion with big telcom to monitor your online activity, you can be certain the Chairman of the "House Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, and the Internet" has no real interest in your privacy, and every interest in keeping campaign contributions flowing, and information contained amongst his friends in big media.
On the surface, the concerns of rhetoric spewing from Boucher's efforts seem plausible, and pander to the "F.U.D." (fear, uncertainty, and doubt) that has been rampant in relation to the Internet and the tracking of we users via cookies. However, Boucher's plan is to require all web sites using "third party ad networks" to actively obtain the consent of each and every visitor, before displaying any ads form such networks. To the average person, this may seem like a drastic but reasonable action to ensure online privacy, in reality, it's a systematic plan of genocide that will destroy independent thought on the Internet.
If those of you who, like myself, dislike online advertising -- or are those who often worry about "tracking cookies" --think I'm exaggerating or spreading my own obfuscation, consider these important points of logic:
(1) For millions of small, but popular web sites, like our beloved ATS, third party ad networks are currently the only viable option to keep revenue flowing, and the site operational and free.
(2) Even for somewhat large opinion-centric web sites such as the Huffington Post, Politico, SlashDot, and others, all of whom reach millions of people every month, third-party ad networks can account for up to two-thirds of all revenue.
(3) Recent estimates from Neilson and other Internet quantification services have been showing a seismic shift in web surfing patterns away from the big media portals and toward the independent sites with alternative views and comments from users.
Boucher is seeking to ensure these sites first ask you for permission before showing you ads, thereby removing nearly all revenue, thereby committing the equivalent of genocide on the culture of free expression on the Internet. As a result, power would be shifted back into the hands of his big media sponsors.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
After initially learning of this potential legislation, my first reaction was in the realm of what "they" expected -- a well-crafted pleasant response that someone was concerned about the "tracking" of online people. Not long after that, my deep-seated suspicions of any legislation began to kick in, and I looked more closely.
When you start digging into the publicly available information about the "tracking cookies" used by "third party ad networks", you begin to lift the veil of lies being told to you by the government and the big media obfuscators.
Look at the cookies on your hard drives, there is no personal information contained, just numeric identifiers. Boucher would have you believe there is pertinent personal detail contained within.
Research the underlying technology, the small web site is not "sharing" any user or personal data with the third party ad companies -- it is simply not technologically possible.
There have been no stories, anecdotes, lawsuits, or rumors of any actual "tracking cookie" data having been used to actually harm someone, either physically, financially, or emotionally by ad serving companies.
Politicians have no qualms about buying mailing lists that include your mortgage information, your credit card purchase history, your job history, your income history, and more for the purposes of sending you solicitations for donations. The very politicians who hide behind this fraudulent "privacy concern" regularly invade your privacy -- in stunning personal detail -- for the purposes of raising campaign funding.
Big media web sites tend to have their own "ad departments" with several people selling and managing the advertising. They would essentially be exempt from this legislation designed to harm small independent web sites who lack the resources to manage ad relationships with hundreds of advertisers.
SUMMARY
There several reasons to be concerned about the potential abuse of our privacy when using the Internet. After researching this story, I no longer consider the targeted delivery of advertising to be one of them -- and instead, see these ads now as an important "necessary evil" that ensures our Internet remains free, open, and a viable alternative to big media. As a result, I've removed ad-blocking software from all my computers.
Do not be fooled by the lies. This is a conspiracy to remove you and your favorite sites from the equation.
Power to the people, powered by ads (for now).
"They" are panic-striken -- in a panic over you, the millions of people being given free reign to say what you want on web sites outside the traditional channels of control. To "them", "free speech" is an abstract concept not intended to be entrusted to anyone with a computer and a keyboard. You do not play the game, you are a disruptor, you are unwanted, you must be removed.
Who are "they" and "them"? The government, of course. But more specifically, the representatives and senators living in the back-pockets of media and telecommunications giants -- with a smattering of the stunningly small number of power-weilders fixated on rolling back to a mix of media that can be controlled and manipulated to feed you the mental pabulum that keeps you sedated.
Fortunately for us, "they" have a face, and the face of our enemy is Representative Rick Boucher (democrat from Virginia), the new chairman of the House Subcommittee tasked with telecommunications technology and the Internet. This enemy of free expression, living comfortably in the back pockets of big media and telecommunications, is planning to craft legislation designed to obliterate millions of independent voices on the Internet and shift power back into the hands of big media and big telcom.
Oh, but that's impossible, you might say, free speech on the Internet has blossomed to a proportion where thoughts of control or destruction are absurd. Well my friends, I'm here to warn you that such absurdity is very much a reality. And, worse yet, the spin doctors and manipulative conspiracy of information obfuscation may even cause many of you to be in favor of the legislation that kills accessible free speech on the Internet.
Congress To Grill Web Companies Thursday
Rep. Rick Boucher (D-Va.) is widely expected to introduce new privacy legislation soon, but nothing is on the table as of today. Still, industry insiders are speculating that new legislation might require Web companies to obtain consumers' explicit opt-in consent before tracking them online and serving targeted ads.
A Call to Legislate Internet Privacy
I spoke to Mr. Boucher on the day that Google announced its new plan to track data about customers for advertising. And I asked him about such behavioral targeting, which presents an ad based on what you did on other sites.
“That would clearly need an opt in,” he said.
If that’s how a final law is written, it would significantly disrupt a fair number of advertising businesses.
Online Behavioral Targeting Targeted by Feds, Critics
The FTC’s Rich said that the old opt-in versus opt-out battle will become new as the FTC chairman supports opt-in and will be part of a new privacy bill from Rep. Rick Boucher, who heads an influential House Commerce subcommittee.
Infuriatingly disguised as "online privacy advocacy", Boucher is, in reality, a big media hatchet-man, devising the genocide of the Internet culture. Given the rampant abuse of the Government collusion with big telcom to monitor your online activity, you can be certain the Chairman of the "House Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, and the Internet" has no real interest in your privacy, and every interest in keeping campaign contributions flowing, and information contained amongst his friends in big media.
On the surface, the concerns of rhetoric spewing from Boucher's efforts seem plausible, and pander to the "F.U.D." (fear, uncertainty, and doubt) that has been rampant in relation to the Internet and the tracking of we users via cookies. However, Boucher's plan is to require all web sites using "third party ad networks" to actively obtain the consent of each and every visitor, before displaying any ads form such networks. To the average person, this may seem like a drastic but reasonable action to ensure online privacy, in reality, it's a systematic plan of genocide that will destroy independent thought on the Internet.
If those of you who, like myself, dislike online advertising -- or are those who often worry about "tracking cookies" --think I'm exaggerating or spreading my own obfuscation, consider these important points of logic:
(1) For millions of small, but popular web sites, like our beloved ATS, third party ad networks are currently the only viable option to keep revenue flowing, and the site operational and free.
(2) Even for somewhat large opinion-centric web sites such as the Huffington Post, Politico, SlashDot, and others, all of whom reach millions of people every month, third-party ad networks can account for up to two-thirds of all revenue.
(3) Recent estimates from Neilson and other Internet quantification services have been showing a seismic shift in web surfing patterns away from the big media portals and toward the independent sites with alternative views and comments from users.
Boucher is seeking to ensure these sites first ask you for permission before showing you ads, thereby removing nearly all revenue, thereby committing the equivalent of genocide on the culture of free expression on the Internet. As a result, power would be shifted back into the hands of his big media sponsors.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
After initially learning of this potential legislation, my first reaction was in the realm of what "they" expected -- a well-crafted pleasant response that someone was concerned about the "tracking" of online people. Not long after that, my deep-seated suspicions of any legislation began to kick in, and I looked more closely.
When you start digging into the publicly available information about the "tracking cookies" used by "third party ad networks", you begin to lift the veil of lies being told to you by the government and the big media obfuscators.
Look at the cookies on your hard drives, there is no personal information contained, just numeric identifiers. Boucher would have you believe there is pertinent personal detail contained within.
Research the underlying technology, the small web site is not "sharing" any user or personal data with the third party ad companies -- it is simply not technologically possible.
There have been no stories, anecdotes, lawsuits, or rumors of any actual "tracking cookie" data having been used to actually harm someone, either physically, financially, or emotionally by ad serving companies.
Politicians have no qualms about buying mailing lists that include your mortgage information, your credit card purchase history, your job history, your income history, and more for the purposes of sending you solicitations for donations. The very politicians who hide behind this fraudulent "privacy concern" regularly invade your privacy -- in stunning personal detail -- for the purposes of raising campaign funding.
Big media web sites tend to have their own "ad departments" with several people selling and managing the advertising. They would essentially be exempt from this legislation designed to harm small independent web sites who lack the resources to manage ad relationships with hundreds of advertisers.
SUMMARY
There several reasons to be concerned about the potential abuse of our privacy when using the Internet. After researching this story, I no longer consider the targeted delivery of advertising to be one of them -- and instead, see these ads now as an important "necessary evil" that ensures our Internet remains free, open, and a viable alternative to big media. As a result, I've removed ad-blocking software from all my computers.
Do not be fooled by the lies. This is a conspiracy to remove you and your favorite sites from the equation.
Power to the people, powered by ads (for now).
reply posted on 17-6-2009 @ 02:00 PM by yeahright
The following is my opinion as a member participating in this discussion.
reply to post by Truth4hire
Ohh this is ugly. This is truly ugly indeed. I'm all for the Free Market working to weed out whatever needs to be weeded out. This is something very different. This is the heavy hand of an out of control government creating an extremely censorial solution to a problem that doesn't even exist. If this doesn't raise the hackles on the back of the collective neck of our membership, I'm not sure what would.
As an ATS Staff Member, I will not moderate in threads such as this where I have participated as a member.
reply posted on 17-6-2009 @ 02:07 PM by Truth4hire
Originally posted by yeahright
reply to post by Truth4hire
Ohh this is ugly. This is truly ugly indeed. I'm all for the Free Market working to weed out whatever needs to be weeded out. This is something very different. This is the heavy hand of an out of control government creating an extremely censorial solution to a problem that doesn't even exist. If this doesn't raise the hackles on the back of the collective neck of our membership, I'm not sure what would.
It should raise the hackles... But it looks like it is going to happen anyway. What about NetNeutrality? That should worry you more. (Filtering out traffic that has not been paid for by mogul ISPs). Pay Per Visit (PPV).
And Murdoch saying the Internet as we know it would not last much longer.
Now that runs chills.
reply posted on 17-6-2009 @ 02:36 PM by schrodingers dog
reply to post by mister.old.school
There are a couple of competing forces at work here ...
Internet privacy/anonymity and the afore mentioned freedom of expression.
Surely the former is a legitimate concern, in fact many argue that just like freedom of expression, it is a basic human right.
We here on ATS often fight for both ...
So what do we do when two worthy principles are muddled to serve "their" purposes?
The fact is that there is technology widely available out there such as TOR and other proxy masking systems should one have realistic or perceived privacy concerns or are mindful of Personally identifiable information being used without their consent.
The problem here is that we are dealing with human psychology. What this legislation is playing on is the basic human fear of the unknown. People sit in front of their computers detached from from the technological processes which transpire as the type into their keyboards. They hear nightmarish stories of scams, identity theft, and indeed government eves dropping, and they immediately assume that this has taken place despite them when in fact 99% of the time they are complicit to the problem.
The fact is that we are daily subjected to advertising, be it on television, magazines, billboards, etc, and none of it is subject to an "opt-in" feature.
This isn't good ...
Most folk will fall for this in the hope of protecting themselves from something that either isn't there or they already have the tools to protect themselves.
Thank you m.o.s. for once more cutting through the not so easily identifiable vail, and for bringing this to our attention.
I wonder what SO thinks of this.
[edit on 17 Jun 2009 by schrodingers dog]
There are a couple of competing forces at work here ...
Internet privacy/anonymity and the afore mentioned freedom of expression.
Surely the former is a legitimate concern, in fact many argue that just like freedom of expression, it is a basic human right.
We here on ATS often fight for both ...
So what do we do when two worthy principles are muddled to serve "their" purposes?
The fact is that there is technology widely available out there such as TOR and other proxy masking systems should one have realistic or perceived privacy concerns or are mindful of Personally identifiable information being used without their consent.
The problem here is that we are dealing with human psychology. What this legislation is playing on is the basic human fear of the unknown. People sit in front of their computers detached from from the technological processes which transpire as the type into their keyboards. They hear nightmarish stories of scams, identity theft, and indeed government eves dropping, and they immediately assume that this has taken place despite them when in fact 99% of the time they are complicit to the problem.
The fact is that we are daily subjected to advertising, be it on television, magazines, billboards, etc, and none of it is subject to an "opt-in" feature.
This isn't good ...
Most folk will fall for this in the hope of protecting themselves from something that either isn't there or they already have the tools to protect themselves.
Thank you m.o.s. for once more cutting through the not so easily identifiable vail, and for bringing this to our attention.
I wonder what SO thinks of this.
[edit on 17 Jun 2009 by schrodingers dog]
reply posted on 17-6-2009 @ 02:42 PM by SkepticOverlord
Originally posted by mister.old.school
Perhaps the owner(s) of this site might contribute and share information on their costs.
We're not going to publicly reveal elements of our operating costs, as doing so would (technically) violate aspects of our Limited Liability Company charter.
However, I can provide some insight.... as, oddly enough, I just posted an announcement about our newest technology upgrade.
We lease our hardware from a provider of managed, enterprise-class servers in Texas... including bandwidth.
The hard drive array in our new database server costs more per-month than the total monthly bill we encountered from our dual-server set-up we used in 2005.
When the upgrade is finished, we'll have farm/cluster of six servers... the per-server management/backup/monitoring costs our support firm charges is more than twice the cost of our first dedicated server.
The monthly bandwidth costs of our global Content Delivery Network (used for images and videos) is more than our total monthly hosting costs from when we were using three servers in 2006.
As you can imagine, our current monthly bill is rather high.
Rumors of this potential legislation has been circling within professional online circles for months. Most see it as a misinformed over-reaction, and all we need to do is properly educate the politicians. As evidenced by the opening post, conspiracy theorists tend to see things differently.
We've had lots of cookie controversies here on ATS... and old.school is correct in his portrayal of the realities of how cookies work... but the media still promotes confusion and misinformation, now we know why.
The wayseer, a message for all of us..you won\'t be sorry you watched ;)
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This content community relies on
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who maintains strict editorial agnosticism and simply provides
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