Better solution:
1. Force (by law) all cookie banners to have specific class, e.g. "eu_cookie_consent_banner"
2. I'll write user css rule that hides this class.
1. Force (by law) all cookie banners to have specific class, e.g. "eu_cookie_consent_banner"
2. I'll write user css rule that hides this class.
1. Force (by law) all tracking companies to shut down
2. Enjoy a better internet
The recent changes in iOS for example have led to a situation that none of the startups I'm involved in can buy cheap ads anymore. Revenues are down, investors are unhappy, companies are struggling to find new channels.
As a user myself, I avoid places that seem to track me aggressively but at the same time I occasionally click on ads (Facebook is especially good at it) that are well targeted and on point. Maybe the world needs a different way of delivering well-targeted sponsored content, but nobody has invented one so far.
So before saying "fuck tracking" think of the small guy, the entrepreneur who is trying to reach out to the audiences with their limited funds.
But they did! Many times over!
The current solution isn't the only way to deliver ads to the right audience - it's just the cheapest one. It outcompetes all other approaches. The solution is thus simple: just ban it. Everyone will then go back to whatever is the next cheapest option. Rinse, repeat, until the cheapest option is one that doesn't compromise privacy and isn't destructive to the communications medium.
So what are the different, older ways of delivering well-targeted sponsored content? For starters, opt-in approaches. Mail catalogues, e-mail catalogues, yellow pages, catalog websites, trade shows, etc. - all kinds of services where it's the user who seeks out advertisements. People want to spend money on things, want to find solutions to their problems, want to save money by finding cheaper alternatives. You don't have to shout at them to get them on the market.
> the biggest loser of non-trackable Internet would be small businesses and startups that are trying to find their audiences
I'm somewhat skeptical about this, but even if, I also think that the amount of advertising deployed is keeping the market in an artificially oversaturated state. There's more companies selling commodity products, competing on advertising alone, surviving only because they manage to trick people into buying things. Without so much unsolicited advertising, some of those would have to fold, but I think this would be extremely good for everyone - less spam, less resources wasted on unnecessary production, and less resources wasted on the zero-sum game that is advertising in a highly competitive market segment.
> ... opt-in approaches. Mail catalogues, e-mail catalogues, yellow pages, catalog websites, trade shows, etc. - all kinds of services where it's the user who seeks out advertisements
There's a big problem with this. I don't know what I don't know. Even though I wouldn't voluntarily opt in for ads on my Facebook feed if I had the chance, but some ads are so good that I am sometimes even thankful when I see an interesting promoted product. That's only possible because Facebook knows too much about my interests already. But again, I'm not among those who'd voluntarily subscribe to yellow pages in any shape or form. My IDFA has been disabled since my first iPhone, I have the best paid ad blocker in my browser etc.
All in all, I doubt the industry can make a U-turn and go back to the opt-in model. More realistically we'll have a bipolar world with Apple on one end of the spectrum and the rest on the other.
Even though I wouldn't voluntarily opt in for ads on my Facebook feed if I had the chance, but some ads are so good that I am sometimes even thankful when I see an interesting promoted product
Idk, when things were different, I actually read ads on paper, because it was interesting what companies can offer, and it was versatile. It was like going to a monstrous store with shelfs full of different goods and descriptions. You’re asking how to target a specific interest? A directory. I’d go to a tech section (and many more) weekly just to keep up with the world. I’d share good findings with my friends and relatives, buy interesting things which I know much better than FB ever would. Today directories are dead and I have NO, completely NO way to do that, except by the chance of seeing something on HN or few other sites. Github awesome-something lists are a proof for that: you just can’t reach good stuff with how it all works now.
Do companies care?
You can contact your DPA for guidance on the exact process – you may first need to contact the website owner and try to resolve the issue between them, before filing a formal complaint to the DPA.
The list of DPAs: https://edpb.europa.eu/about-edpb/about-edpb/members_en