>It's the same business model that's been supporting publication for more than a century.
I think there's an enormous difference between advertising in print, advertising on the internet, and what is currently the status quo, which is active surveillance of all information consumed and every movement that individuals make across the internet and in the real world by data linked through GPS/ cell phone location, credit card purchases, etc.
I'm aware that this is the new reality, but comparing it to print advertising (or even pop up ads of the early internet) is disingenuous at best.
> comparing it to print advertising is disingenuous at best.
Right. First, print advertising could only target the entire subscriber base. Second, they had a limited amount of data on you based on voluntary surveys and census tracts, not a list of every single thing you read, and where you are every minute of every day. Finally, print publications actually cared about reuse/misuse of their address lists. The list they sold you would include some addresses they controlled, so if you resold or reused it, they would catch you.
There are ways to deliver effective ads with a whole lot less surveillance.
I think there's an enormous difference between advertising in print, advertising on the internet, and what is currently the status quo, which is active surveillance of all information consumed and every movement that individuals make across the internet and in the real world by data linked through GPS/ cell phone location, credit card purchases, etc.
I'm aware that this is the new reality, but comparing it to print advertising (or even pop up ads of the early internet) is disingenuous at best.