Think Tank Argues That Giving Up Privacy Is Good For The Poor
from the hurting-the-poor-helps-the-poor dept
With ISPs like AT&T now charging broadband customers a steep premium just to protect their own privacy, the FCC has begun looking at some relatively basic new privacy protections for broadband. This has, as you might expect, resulted in a notable bump in histrionics from the industry. Comcast, for example, quickly tried to inform the FCC that charging users a surcharge for privacy was ok because it would somehow magically lower broadband prices, and banning them from this kind of behavior would do a tremendous disservice to the internet at large.Anybody even marginally aware of the lack of competition in broadband understands this is just another attempt to take advantage of captive customers in a broken market. But the broadband industry quickly doubled down, using the usual assortment of payrolled think tanks to pollute the discourse pool. The Information Technology & Innovation Foundation (ITIF), for example, was quick to try and claim that charging all broadband users steep premiums for privacy would generate huge benefits for the entire "internet ecosystem," and that anybody who couldn't see the genius of such a practice was an "absolutist."
But a think tank by the name of the Technology Policy Institute has doubled down on the already dumb double down, with an op-ed at the Hill that tries to claim that such a privacy surcharge would actually help the poor:
"'Pay-for-privacy' plans disproportionately benefit lower-income individuals. Indeed, the notion that offering an additional option would be detrimental to any consumers, whatever their income, is misguided..."A plan that offers a discount in exchange for data may enable a lower-income consumer both to have internet service and pay for groceries. Depriving the consumer of that choice may put the internet connection out of reach."Pause with me to understand what's being claimed here for a moment. Mr. Thomas M. Lenard is actually trying to claim that adding a privacy surcharge to what's already some of the most expensive broadband in the developed world will somehow help the poor buy groceries. I've seen a lot of nonsense in sixteen years writing about telecom, but this latest storm of disinformation surrounding the FCC's new privacy push should qualify for some kind of award.
Like AT&T and Comcast, these think tanks are violently misrepresenting what's actually happening here. AT&T charges its U-Verse broadband customers $528 to $792 more every year (up to $62 more per month) to opt out of the company's Internet Preferences program, which uses deep packet inspection to track your online behavior -- down to the second. Not only is that not anything close to a discount, but AT&T makes opting out as cumbersome as possible. The hope is to heavily penalize opting out and to actively punish broadband users that protect their own privacy.
ISPs consistently try to argue that they shouldn't be regulated differently from Google and Facebook on privacy, and that argument surfaces again here:
"AT&T is giving the subscriber the opportunity to allow advertisers to pay part of the subscription fee. What would be the rationale for allowing Google to offer advertising-supported service but not AT&T?(Raises hand) Because AT&T and Comcast enjoy a duopoly or monopoly over the last mile? Google or Facebook customers unhappy with their privacy policies can simply stop using these services (imagine the exodus by customers of either company if they tried to charge money to opt out of select privacy practices?). Broadband customers, in contrast, have nowhere to flee if one or both of their broadband options engages in hostile privacy practices the likes of which we're seeing here. Because AT&T, Verizon and Comcast are pushing harder into content and online ads doesn't change this underlying reality.
Between privacy surcharges, Verizon's getting busted for covertly modifying user packets to track user behavior, and cable companies bragging how they provide worse customer service for low credit customers, most people should be able to understand why the FCC thinks it may be time for some basic broadband privacy rules. Given that an informed broadband subscriber with the tools to protect their privacy could potentially cost these companies billions, it should also be easy to understand why think tanks and the ISPs that fund them have ratcheted up attempts to derail the effort using some of the most ridiculous arguments imaginable.
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Filed Under: broadband, pay for privacy, think tanks
Companies: at&t, comcast, technology policy institute, tpi
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It's not a discount if prices don't actually go down.
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I can give 1000 examples on how this policy 'may' benefit poor people but if you know that all of those examples will never be implemented especially in areas with non or little competition then it's basically useless to even suggest that it will benefit the poor.
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Silly Poor Folk...
Every Nation gets the government it deserves!
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Re: Silly Poor Folk...
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Re: Silly Poor Folk...
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Re: Re: Re: Silly Poor Folk...
We are all both the victims and the fucking cause of this shit! "The Electorate" IS to blame, no matter how much whiny pissants moan otherwise.
There is a reason every nation gets the government it deserves. Because the fucking shit known as humanity will not help each other. Instead we let the 2 party system turn us against each other instead of turning against the corrupt.
Remember, if you voted for anyone in a party you voted for the party, not your country or fellow citizens! Parties were created for the express purpose of usurping the will of the people and every fucking bastard voting for one IS A FUCKING PROBLEM!
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How much do they pay you?
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Re: Re: Silly Poor Folk...
You just made the case for not letting citizens vote period. If you are fool enough to think you can ever have an electorial process where there is no interference then let me introduce you to Da Nile.... not just a river in Egypt!
At the end of the day, every time you sit back on your ass, do nothing, or recuse yourself of blame with this contrived shit you made your fucking vote!
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Re: Re: Re: Silly Poor Folk...
You don't know if I am doing something to help change this status quo so you should be careful with your assumptions. In any case I'm merely pointing that sometimes even if people were more mindful about their vote there's still a lot of power and influence that can mislead them pr even rig the process. Remember Bush didn't win by votes but rather because the delegates chose him. Can you blame the population for this? Still, it would be an obligation to protest to change the system so these insanities don't happen again.
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Re: Silly Poor Folk...
By all means, if it's simply a problem of people not voting 'better', feel free to point out what candidates are in the running with anything even remotely resembling equal funding to the major two that would be the 'right' choice.
Or tell us about the political action you've been involved in, I mean surely someone who goes around and tells people that it's their fault for not voting 'right' or being involved enough in the political process has got to be doing his/her part to fix the problem, right?
You're certainly quick on the blame, but I'm not seeing much/any proposed solutions to the problems from you, making it just a wee bit difficult to take you seriously.
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The real issue that should scare everyone is that eventually there will be enough info on people that whatever party is in power at the time will be able to use it against candidates from the other party.
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Think tank or paid tank?
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Re: Think tank or paid tank?
Think Tanks are all about thinking how to best send "The Message" that has already been though up by the leadership. aka... secondary thought!
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@1
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@1
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Advertisements in general
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Re: Advertisements in general
That's precisely why the advertising and marketing industry exists in the first place. After all, everyone knows it doesn't actually work -- at least, not on them... just on all the other poor schmucks!
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So give up your privacy or pay for groceries
Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I think you have it backwards.
I think what he's saying is that poor people won't have to pay the privacy surcharge, which gives them more money to spend on groceries. Of course, he fails to follow-up and say that this means AT&T will continue to collect and mine their data in exchange for *not* paying the surcharge.
So this is yet another way the poor get screwed by big business.
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Re: So give up your privacy or pay for groceries
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It is depressing how often this sentence is repeated on Techdirt.
You're not wrong about it, it's just depressing, that's all...
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Note the implicit rule
We're supposed to just accept that you can't have an advertising-supported service without giving up privacy.
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Greed and Idiocracy
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Slavery is a benefit to the poor, too.
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Think Tank Argues That Giving Up Privacy Is Good For Exploiting The Poor
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poverty is wealth
tyranny is democracy
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more like Stink Tank
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