Take the 2011 ATS User Survey

reply to post by Astyanax


Well said.
I was under the impression that this was a conspiracy website and I found the questions to be of a highly personal nature.
I feel a bit let down by this....

Originally posted by SkepticOverlord

Originally posted by wayno
You are only interested in aggregate numbers, but the personally identifiable raw data is still there, somewhere, in perpetuity, and accessible by subpoena, theft, or accident.

We've made it clear that it's not stored nor associated with users.

from the Privacy policy statement at the bottom of pg. 1 of the survey it says:

"No data is stored specific to respondents other than the survey in which they participated, ..." Bold, mine. This says flat out that data specific to respondents is held. It is the exception to the rule. As long as it is stored digitally, it is vulnerable.

Later on it says: " Once a session is complete, responses are disassociated with individuals, and incomplete surveys or polls are purged after 7 days." Responses are "disassociated" from individual responders? Wonder how they do that?

"DATA SHARING: ... At no time will anything other than aggregate responses be displayed: for example, "X" number or respondents are "Y" years old. No additional data other than what is publicly displayed will ever be shared with any third party. "

Great. This says you won't share it. But it also says you still have it.

I understand the purpose of this endeavour, and I trust your intentions; however, there is enough inconsistency in the language to cause a conspiracy of its own.

If visitors and non members can participate, I wonder how many ATSers who are concerned about privacy logged out and did the survey anonomously? Probably a lot if you ask me.
So the results about the members /non members could be skewered because of it.

I know one's answers to surveys are supposed to be anonymous. However the last question, regarding collaborating with other like websites (if I understood it correctly).

My view, I think ATS should stand-alone and apart from other like alternative news websites. I think we have always and will always be the ones to set the precedence that is ATS.

I only wish I would have come across this site sooner than I did.

Respectfully,
UberL33t

reply to post by ironorchid

There is no reason to feel let down. Members who see this as some kind of betrayal should take a closer and more realistic look at their own relationships with media and the consumer society.

The widespread and growing interest in conspiracy theories is actually being propagated by the very media that conspiracy fans love to hate. The distinction between the ‘mainstream’ and ‘alternative’ media is spurious; all these media are funded by advertising and are very much a part of the commercial economy. They are in business for money. Do you really think they would do anything that might genuinely undermine society and threaten their own sources of revenue?

One would have to be very naive to believe that any genuine revelation could ever come out of ATS or its competitors. Anyone who takes seriously the conspiracies discussed on this site is badly out of touch, living in a fantasy world where aliens walk among us, men never landed on the moon, manmade global warming is a lie and the world’s governments are spewing toxic chemicals into the sky to cull the population. Fantasies, originally dreamed up by political propagandists, religious frauds or mentally ill people, that ATS and other media firms propagate and promote so they can get your attention long enough to push ads at you and take the advertisers’ money.

ATS is a hobby site for conspiracy fans, nothing more. The people who come here are not so different from the ‘sheeple’ they love to put down; they devour what their favourite media tell them just as eagerly and uncritically, they are just as dependent on the products and services and conveniences provided them by governments and corporations, and they suck just as greedily on the teats of the consumer society. The only difference between them and the sheeple is one of taste: the sheeple go for the common, general-issue lie, while the conspiracy fan prefers a slightly more esoteric brand of poppycock.

At least the mainstream media create their own content, often at considerable expense. ATS and its kin, on the other hand, make money out of other people’s creative work. User-generated content, eh? We create it, ATS sells it and gets to keep the money. All the money. What a great business model.

What fabulous irony! Hundreds of super-enlightened, super-aware (or so they would have us believe) conspiracy experts, people who have seen (or so they would have themselves believe) all the way through all the lies told them by the ‘mainstream media’ and the ‘powers that be’, falling over themselves in their eagerness to contribute their time and labour for the further enrichment of the shareholders of The Above Network. Magnificent!

Frankly, I’m bloody envious. Wish I’d thought of something like this myself. Again, kudos to the Overlord.

reply to post by wayno

Later on it says: "Once a session is complete, responses are disassociated with individuals, and incomplete surveys or polls are purged after 7 days." Responses are "disassociated" from individual responders? Wonder how they do that?

They add up all the responses and convert them into statements about site user characteristics or behaviour as a percentage of the total audience. See SO's early-results posts for examples. ‘26 percent of users are office employees.’ ‘The largest segment of members is aged between 18 and 25.’ That kind of thing.

There is nothing for you to be afraid of. Nobody who sees this data is interested in you except as a consumer.

I'm curious if oll skeptical optimus really expects people to answer truthfully.

Originally posted by wayno
"No data is stored specific to respondents other than the survey in which they participated, ..." Bold, mine. This says flat out that data specific to respondents is held. It is the exception to the rule. As long as it is stored digitally, it is vulnerable.

As has been previously stated, repeatedly, responses to questions are not retained. Without storing the numeric ID of the survey a user takes, it's impossible to prevent a user from taking it multiple times.

reply to post by SkepticOverlord


Are you really expecting to get an accurate response from the majority of participants?

I would think a 'conspiracy site' that attracts those distrustful of any and all authority might be inclined to be intentionally disingenuous.

reply to post by incrediblelousminds


I answered truthfully and would give permission to post those answers. I personally have nothing to hide with any answer I gave. The questions were broad for the most part, so I am failing to see why privacy is even a concern.

Did I miss something?

reply to post by UberL33t


You misunderstand. I'm not saying people's distrust is well-guided. I'm saying this is a website of contrarians who will likely skew the results away from anything resembling accuracy, just for the sake of being contrarians.

Wow...after taking the survey, I realize I use ATS as my primary news source. But then again, I've never found MSM "news" that interesting. They all have thier own agenda, and none of them are biased. Maybe I never grew up, but I find alt new and bizzare new more interesting than MSM.

just my $0.02...which is worth less than it used to be

reply to post by searching4truth


Same , told me to get a life!

(jk

reply to post by incrediblelousminds


Ahhh, I now pick up what you initially laid down.

reply to post by SkepticOverlord


Did it, quick and painless..

And I have to say I really love your new av SO

how do you see results?

I took the survey, interesting questions...

I have a comment, well, a suggestion, and I am probably wasting my time here.

On the question regarding ATS having a paid professional investigative journalist... Yes, Absolutely!

A suggestion I hope you will seriously consider...

Have an open competition available to all ATS members who have contributed (you determine the requirements) a time frame to submit an exclusive, original news article/item/interview/video... Someone who gets an exclusive, a "scoop" ... an earth-shattering news item of an "alternative" nature that can make the wires and get picked up by the major news networks and websites, and credit to ATS and the member are given.... One that gets a lot of traffic, stars and flags etc. wins a cash prize (you determine the amount) and a probationary period where the winner has to submit quality news items (under your editorial controls) on a timely basis with a deadline... The successful member(s) who can do this can be awarded a contract, and given an official title as an abovetopsecret.com professional investigative journalist.. A full time position with good pay (per news item) and benefits.

You do this right, and everyone wins all the way around here...

Just an idea, I'm sure you can take it from there if you choose to do it... What have you got to lose?

Yeah, I know, I wasted my time on this post... But what the hell?

I took the survey because I want the Worldwide Conspiracy to know who I am.

Come get some.

reply to post by SkepticOverlord

Thanks,just did your survey,hope it helps.