1. Force everyone to register to get access to content.
2. Leak that data.
3. ...
4. Profit. Not sure how this part works though.
I hope lesson should be learned: don't force users to register just because you can
I hope lesson should be learned: don't force users to register just because you can
The first rule of Web 2.0 is still true: if you are not paying for the product you are the product.
I get that this is not their main business model, and that their customers that they bundle and sell consumer data to are more valuable. But end users, in this case, are still customers. They still pay money and get a service in return. Contrasted with e.g. Google services, it's a different scenario.