Marketers Freak Out About Mandates To Make Clickstream Tracking Opt-In Only
from the but-what-about-our-data? dept
With all of the fuss finally being raised concerning clickstream tracking by companies like Phorm and NebuAd, there's an effort underway to force ISPs to make any such tracking strictly opt-in. That is, users would have to proactively agree to allow their data to be used in this manner. In response, various marketers are complaining about how much data they would lose, claiming it would be an "armageddon" for the industry. Don't believe them. This is the same thing marketers warned about when the US instituted a "Do Not Call" system, and it's hardly decimated the marketing industry. Instead, it's improved marketing by making firms focus less on intrusive telemarketing and more on useful marketing. The same would happen if ISPs were required to make this an opt-in instead of opt-out setup. It would force the ISPs and companies like Phorm to make sure that the services really benefited customers in meaningful and noticeable ways so that customers would be happy to make use of the services. By whining about an opt-in solution, all these firms are really admitting is that they do not add value to the surfing experience of users.Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
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Filed Under: clickstream tracking, marketers, opt-in, opt-out
Companies: nebuad, phorm
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Dont listen to marketers?
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Re: Dont listen to marketers?
Oh but only if it were would the world be a better place. Not much, but enough.
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"hi, we're conducting a survey: do you want to buy a kitchen from us?"
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Opt-In for money
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Re: Opt-In for money
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Re: Re: Opt-In for money
Then I would be considered a ransom, and the ISP would be a highway man. Didn't we used to hang scum like these in the UK?
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Re: Re: Re: Opt-In for money
Then I = Then it
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Luke, It's a trap !
I trust these slimeballs as far as I can throw a piano.
This sort of thing is presently illegal and should remain that way.
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So - sounds to me like people can put up tons of hidden text on websites and just confuse it.
I'm sure there will be an ad-block equivalent, or just blocking their subnets entirely might work too.
They can do it if they want - and I can ignore ads too. I don't mind checking advertisements, but just because I'm searching for information on say... Tennis, doesn't mean I want to buy a racket.
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Re: Spoofing Phorm
And I stand by my earlier assertion that an easy-to-perform opt-out is perfectly adequate; I shan't trot out the tired old cliche, "If you have nothing to hide you have nothing to fear," but I've yet to hear anyone explain exactly how one's browsing history might be used by a third party for nefarious purposes. Besides, doesn't personal responsibility come into this? Anyone too lazy and/or ignorant to bother searching the 'Preferences' tab for a clearly-marked box and un-checking it deserves what they get as far as I'm concerned.
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Astro Turf ?
2) "exactly how one's browsing history might be used by a third party for nefarious purposes"
3) "clearly-marked box and un-checking it"
1) The only perfectly adequate opt out would be to cancel your ISP account.
2) I doesn't matter what they say their intentions are, it will be abused.
3) What ? Maybe you do not understand how they collect data.
#11: "I think people aren't considering the view point of a marketing person"
Yes, lets all feel sorry for the marketing folks - awwwww.
Get real. Go monitize elsewhere.
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Look at it from their point of view
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It is Armageddon, just like the do not call list
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The Data Has Value So ...
Anyway, this is always amusing. If we attempt to use their "content" in a manner that they do not like (copying a music file from the PC to a CD) we are "stealing". But if they collect our data and privatize it to make money for themselves that conveniently isn't "stealing". Hypocrites.
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Opt in - absolutely, and enforcement, too
Do not call, at least in Pennsylvania, works really well. Report violations to the attorney general's office, they follow up and it sure seems like there's very little junk calls compared to what it used to be. Marketers are catching on - even got the cable company I'm stuck with to stop calling to sell me stuff when I complained to the telemarketer, though the do not call laws let them call when they have a "relationship."
I appreciate marketing, and the marketers who let me choose on my terms, for my needs, get my business.
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We've been successful with opt-in tracking
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Not interested in advertisements
I am an intelligent person who knows where to look for what I need when shopping both on and offline. You can put your ads back into the dark hole from which they emanated.
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