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Comment by version_five | Hacker News Reader

Any "friction" (ads, cookie banners, modal subscribe popups, create an account to read, etc) I weigh against how I value the content. For most random clicks, e.g. a HN article, I value it at zero, I'm just browsing, so I close it with any friction. If for whatever reason I'm actually seeking something out, I may go to a little more effort (to be fair though, if it's Bloomberg or FT for example I just use archive.md) And if it's actually content I want, I may sign up or pay for a subscription, e.g. some substack. So bottom line I see closing the browser on a cookie banner as just part of the market negotiation taking place.

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I guess I truly don’t understand what most sites are thinking here. If they actually want me to have the slightest clue what their site is about, they have to let me USE it first. How can it possibly help them (it certainly doesn’t help me) when they interrupt scrolling literally 1-2 seconds after arrival, or possibly blocking every other possible action on the site for some reason? Do they really think I will see all that and say: “oh I am SO glad you asked, let me just get right on that!!”? Nope, sorry: I leave immediately, every single time. In fact if I am really enraged, I will go out of my way to set up a few blockers to make sure I never see any part of that site on any other site, too.

They're thinking about the laws they have to comply with to collect analytics data on you without being subject to fines.

Did you really not know that? That's a genuine question. I really want to know if that thought ever crossed your mind before. Not trolling or trying to be a dick, although granted it comes off that way.

Really, please respond because I don't understand how I keep seeing this sentiment. I don't like the popups either, but that doesn't stop me from understanding the how/why I'm subjected to them.

Imagine if you had to sign a consent form before entering a supermarket.

They would go out of business pretty fast.

The amount of data collection that's been present and is being added to B&M retail is itself terrifying.

This goes back to loyalty-card tracking, and now includes facial recognition, WiFi and Bluetooth trracking, and more. As well as purchase history surveillance through credit and debit cards or "smart pay" systems.

You seem to be deliberately misunderstanding a post to try to make a point. It was clearly about sites that ask you to subscribe with a modal pop-up when you hit their landing page.

I don't understand. We're discussing cookie banners here, its in the title, in the article, and nothing in gp contradicts that. How did you jump from that to accusing someone of "deliberately misunderstanding" that we're discussing cookie banners?

Reading what you said, it just hits me if you value it at zero, don't you also value your time at zero?

I am not trying to attack you or imply that you should always be maximally productive.

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