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Left 4 Dead
I really need to find more time in the day. This is one of those “perfect storm” times of the year when tons of quality games come out and there’s simply not enough time to play them all. I saw a video for Left 4 Dead the other day and was convinced that [...]
Read MoreComment from Ray Everett-Church
After I posted the update on AGLOCO last night, I was surprised to get a comment from one of the founders of AGLOCO late yesterday evening. Ray Everett-Church is the Chief Privacy Officer of the company and had something to say about the recent discussion of spyware between myself, John Chow and Carl Nelson that spanned between our three blogs. It looks like John got the same comment but it’s nice that someone in the company is actually paying attention, answering questions and looking at feedback from us. Carl was saying that while the bar that is the basis of the AGLOCO program is entirely voluntary, the software itself is in essense, spyware as it tracked our habits so the ads could be catered to our tastes. However, Ray had this to say in response:
I couldn’t disagree more with the characterization of the Viewbar as spyware. In my experience, spyware has four main characteristics: 1) It’s installed without your permission; 2) It surreptitiously tracks you; 3) it is difficult if not impossible to turn off or remove; and, 4) it sends your information to an unknown and untrustworthy entity where you have no control over what happens to it.
AGLOCO’s Viewbar (nor AllAdvantage’s Viewbar before it) does not have those characteristics. Indeed, AGLOCO’s Viewbar is the opposite of spyware: you must actively install it, you have to turn it on in order for it to track you and earn your hours, you can easily turn it off and uninstall at will, and finally you know who’s tracking you and our Privacy Policy gives you explicit information about what happens with your data and how you can delete it from our system if you desire.
I know a thing or two about spyware: I was an expert witness in a series of twelve lawsuits in which I testified against one of the major perpetrators of spyware on the Internet. They actually hired me in part because of my experiences at AllAdvantage with permission-based and privacy-protecting advertising technologies like the Viewbar.
If you’re interested (or can’t sleep!) you can read brief excerpts from my 80-page expert witness report (the whole report is, unfortunately, under seal by the federal court). I submitted the excerpts when I testified at the U.S. Federal Trade Commission’s Workshop on Spyware in 2004. My written materials are at: http://www.ftc.gov/os/comments/spyware/040319everett-church.pdf .
I hope that helps clarify things a bit more.
Regards,
Ray Everett-Church
AGLOCO Chief Privacy Officer
Ray Everett-Church is an expert in the field of privacy law and the author of Internet Privacy for Dummies. You can check out his website here. If you’re interested in privacy law or are suffering from insomnia, then reading that 80-page report might be a good idea. AGLOCO should be out of beta any day now so get in on it while it’s still fresh and people aren’t likely to say “Oh, I’ve already signed up.” Sign up for AGLOCO here.
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- 2 Comments
- In Tech and the Net
I replied on John’s blog too:
OK, let’s not argue about semantics. Instead, just read the Membership Agreement. Take the word ’spyware’ out of every argument I gave. It’s not installed without permission, it is possible to remove, and it only only sends information to companies and partners stated in the membership agreement.
The word ’spyware’ certainly causes a stir with people, so call it what you want. You’re still agreeing to be tracked, shown ads, promotional materials, and who knows what else (the agreement isn’t clear, but it is likely that ads aren’t the only thing you are going to get from the Agloco).
I am not trying to rip on Agloco’s program or dissuade people from using it. Everyone who signs up knows what they are giving (their privacy while browsing) and what they are getting (shares in a company that sells ads in a voluntarily-installed toolbar).
The main point still remains, regardless of semantics, I hope.
ReplyI would certainly agree that not everybody is keen on the idea of having their online behavior tracked, willingly or not, for the purpose of serving up ads. Although it’s happening all the time, all over the web, to you and everybody, whether you want it or not. There are ways to protect yourself and to limit the amount of information people can capture (entire chapters about that in “Internet Privacy for Dummies”). The value proposition from AGLOCO is simply that since it’s happening, you ought to profit from it. Not a deal that everybody cares to make, but I think it’s good to have the option. And of course, variety is the spice of life!
Regards,
Reply-Ray