Did You Know that Mozilla is Hijacking the Internet?

ComputerWorld UK ^ | 12 August 2013 | Glyn Moody

[2 Kool 2 Be 4-Gotten]

Agree.

[Still Thinking]

Yes, the IAB is definitely living in a parallel universe - one where people have actually come across this Digital Advertising Alliance's self-regulatory program(me). Because I can honestly say that in nearly 20 years of wandering the Web, and far too many hours spent online every day (as my Twitter, identi.ca and G+ followers know only too well), I have never encountered this fabled Digital Advertising Alliance's self-regulatory program(me), much less know how to use it to control the ads I receive. And if I find myself in this woeful state of ignorance, that rather suggests that not many other people using the Internet have come across or use the Digital Advertising Alliance's self-regulatory program(me) either (has any reader come across it, I wonder?)

Well, a voluntary system established by the advertisers doesn't really count, and for a couple reasons. It was probably written to advance the interests of those who paid the writers, and since you didn't write it, that's not YOU. How do you know that the "opt out" provision isn't just playing dumb about the ads it sends you while still invading your privacy just as much as before? In fact, privacy protection should be on the UPstream end of the pipe, not the downstream end, where they already are in possession of the information and simply promise to ignore it. Yeah, right. Second, what the hell is with everyone assuming they have the right to create default-in opt-OUT systems? Who are they to be creating an additional burden on people who simply want what they always had in the first place? Make the people who feel there's value in the spying to sign up. Why shouldn't the people "benefiting" be the ones to put out additional effort, rather than those who just want to be left alone?

[OneVike]

So am I to believe that Mozilla has become more powerful and influential than Google, of whom we have already been told is trying to control the internet?

One must put this all in perspective, because 10 years ago I remember the news was that Microsoft was trying to control the internet, and before Microsoft it was yahoo.

Personally, I think the one’s trying to control the internet are the ones who control the government. Regardless of which party, or which politician is in power at the time.

[willyd]

Not odd...just how the business model works. They provide the content in exchange for some people clicking on an interesting ad here or there to cover their expenses for producing, designing, hosting the content.

Taking steps to counter-act or remove the marketing means there is 0 chance you will generate any revenue for them, so they don’t want you on their site, wasting their bandwidth.

Does that make sense?

[BenLurkin]

It makes sense that I will gladly not go to their site.

[Revolting cat!]

One big flaw of the Internet and the browsers is that they are allowed to not only write to your private computer, but also read what others have written, all of that without your permission or knowledge. You say that’s the price you pay? Hell, most people with computers don’t even know that it is the price they pay, as watchers of the idiot box would know that having to put up with commercials is the price they pay.

And hey, nobody is “paying my way” by buying the products advertised, while I go to the kitchen to fetch another bottle of Staropramen. As one of my college profs edumacated me, the TV stations don’t sell me anything, after all I’m not paying them $$$ (over the air TV, for argument’s sake) what they sell and collect real money for from the advertisers is my time, D’UH!