[LINK] Do Not Track Bill Threat to American Way of Life

[Roger Clarke]

At 12:43 PM +1000 10/5/11, Tom Koltai wrote:
>Actually, as much as I abhor advertisers pushing their wares onto me
>without the option of changing channels, the reality is that our
>economic growth is very closely aligned with the advertising take-up
>numbers.

Classic error, Tom.

Confusing correlation with causality.

Compounded by asserting which is the cause and which is the effect.

A more tenable proposition is that the two have a common cause.

But most likely the minimally-complex-but-still-useful model of the 
system comprises many influences and feedback loops, and hence trying 
to ascribe causality is a waste of time for everyone except academic 
econometricians.

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>Both advertising responders and CPI are suspiciously aligned.
>
>The Formula equals = 3% of advertising viewers become action
>respondents. In Australia, in the days of Appointment television, that
>used to represent 246,000 daily targeted shoppers.
>
>Today, we would be hard pressed to have even a quarter of that number.
>In other words the lack of advertising is hurting our economy at the
>rate of approximately 30 billion per annum.
>
>That's 30 Billion less for jobs forcing us to buy even cheaper third
>world produced goods to maintain the appearance of forward movement.
>
>So in this regard, I'm afraid I have to side with the corps that are
>lobbying against the proposed "Do not Track" legislation.
>
>There are two strata's of society, those that shop and those that do
>not.
>Academics and geeks usually do not. These are the very same persons that
>will be able to bypass the various tracking methodologies employed by
>the wireless advertisers of the future.
>
>Unless we allow vendors to push their wares, the economy will not be
>able to recover.
>
>Sorry folks, ipso facto, we need advertising to let people know that
>they should buy something to wash their clothes that will destroy the
>cotton so that they will then need to buy more clothes.
>
>Out economies descent has been blamed on the low doc housing loans, yet
>I can't help but parallel the lowered retail spending patterns with our
>altered patterns of media consumption including notably, the increase in
>sales of digital (non set-top box) home entertainment systems that of
>course allow advert free viewing options.
>
>So Roger, whilst I think privacy is important, I do think that Mrs.
>Strata Shopper extra-ordinaire, would like to be made aware of the red
>light special on size 14 34B cup size summer frocks as she is walking
>past the shop, after all she could always opt out - couldn't she ?
>
>Tom (Pro advertising providing it has an opt-out option)

-- 
Roger Clarke                                 http://www.rogerclarke.com/

Xamax Consultancy Pty Ltd      78 Sidaway St, Chapman ACT 2611 AUSTRALIA
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Visiting Professor in the Cyberspace Law & Policy Centre      Uni of NSW
Visiting Professor in Computer Science    Australian National University