NNSquad - Network Neutrality Squad
[ NNSquad ] Putting a Stake in the Coffin of "Do Not Track"
Putting a Stake in the Coffin of "Do Not Track"
http://lauren.vortex.com/archive/000994.html
I could have predicted this. Actually, I *did* predict this.
The latest report from "ZDNet" confirms that the always Kafkaesque Web
advertising "Do Not Track" effort is flying off the rails in all
directions ( http://j.mp/Rfou5e ).
And while I have my own overall take on these issues that is not the
same as that article's in key respects, I do agree with it's ultimate
conclusion:
It's time to kill Do Not Track.
Yes, end it. The sooner the better.
For ages now, the Do Not Track standardization effort has been looking
like a plot arc from the surrealistic old TV series "Green Acres."
Over a year ago, in my "Do-Not-Track, Doctor Who, and a Constellation
of Confusion," white paper and other essays, I noted that there
haven't even been really viable definitions of what tracking in these
contexts even actually means ( http://bit.ly/kzePq4 [Lauren's Blog ] ).
This is not a simple matter. There is an entire complex of issues
involved -- technical, policy, and even political in nature.
An example of how utterly messed up things have gotten is exemplified
by the meltdown triggered when Microsoft recently (and fully in
character) decided to duplicitously pander by ignoring the user
choice component of the developing Do Not Track standard, and
instead substitute its own decision, causing an immediate and
appropriate rebuke from Mozilla ( http://j.mp/Naduo3 [Lauren's Blog] ).
And cookies. Ah yes, cookies. Whenever someone mentions "tracking"
they usually toss the cookies in their next breath. But Web
cookies -- so necessary to the fundamental operations of most websites, have
been turned into political pawns, resulting in bizarre operational
effects that make Federico Fellini look like a staid documentary
filmmaker.
Google is raked over the coals and massively fined for implementing
cookie handling for the Safari browser in a manner necessary to make
basic functionalities operate correctly, and in a manner that
was explicitly understood to be necessary by Safari developers
( http://j.mp/xGZRcT [Lauren's Blog] ).
Meanwhile, regulators in Europe jumped the shark completely, imposing
a useless requirement that sites display a "will you accept our
cookies?" banner that won't go away unless you accept the cookie that
holds the status of your choice regarding whether you will or won't
accept cookies! Huh? Say what?
Yep, you have to accept a cookie to reject the cookies, and if you
don't accept any cookies, you'll usually keep seeing that banner query
every time you visit the sites, and in some cases can't even get
deeper into the sites at all.
Welcome to Bozo Web! Let's see how many Web regulators pop out of
that teeny, tiny car in the center ring!
But don't laugh too hard. While politicians on one hand tout their
crackdowns on the usually anonymous advertising systems that help keep
so many Web services free, many of the same politicos are pushing for
massive government data retention programs, vast warrantless
wiretapping projects, deep surveillance of financial and commercial
transactions, encompassing CCTV camera nets, vehicle license plate
readers, automobile driver monitoring, and on ... and on ... and on.
Golly, it's almost as if someone were trying to divert our attention
from genuine, serious privacy concerns, by waving the advertising
cookies Do Not Track red cape in front of our faces -- like a toreador
preparing a bull for the coup de grace.
The current Do Not Track effort is yet another example of hype
masquerading as reality. We see enough insane hype in our ongoing
political races. It's horrible enough there, and in the technical
realm can cause a different form of devastation as well, with broad
collateral damage likely on many fronts.
It's long past time to get our priorities straight. There are many
critical privacy concerns -- but ad display Do Not Track isn't one of
them.
Use a stake. Use a silver bullet. Solemnly intone
"Klaatu barada nikto."
But let's focus on real privacy issues that affect our fundamental
freedoms, and let's put the ad display Do Not Track effort
out of its misery ( http://j.mp/Rfp7M7 [Wired] ).
--Lauren--
Lauren Weinstein (lauren@vortex.com): http://www.vortex.com/lauren
Co-Founder: People For Internet Responsibility: http://www.pfir.org/pfir-info
Founder:
- Network Neutrality Squad: http://www.nnsquad.org
- PRIVACY Forum: http://www.vortex.com/privacy-info
- Data Wisdom Explorers League: http://www.dwel.org
- Global Coalition for Transparent Internet Performance: http://www.gctip.org
Member: ACM Committee on Computers and Public Policy
Lauren's Blog: http://lauren.vortex.com
Google+: http://vortex.com/g+lauren / Twitter: http://vortex.com/t-lauren
Tel: +1 (818) 225-2800 / Skype: vortex.com
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