Post #4379810
2026-07-28 05:16 UTC
Replies (2)
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@FrostyPolicy@suppo.fi 2026-07-28 06:25
The problem is that reddit and others can instantaneously put your years-long effort behind a paywall. I’m not joking. Look at these: Those aren’t paywalls. They are. You pay with you being tracked, profiled, your data etc. That’s what these “free” services use to monetise the user.
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@dsilverz@catodon.rocks 2026-07-29 03:21
Those aren't paywalls.Why? The concept of "paying for something" isn't limited to "paying with fiat money/currency". One can "pay for something" by "paying with their attention/time", one can "pay for something" by "paying with PII" (personally-identifiable information), both situations of which are present in both Reddit's and Meta's "Sign up to read this". Sure, Reddit and Instagram/Facebook are "free" insofar the user isn't required to do any kind of bank/credit card/cash/cryptocurrency payment, but the user ends up paying with all the time they spend in these platforms while seeing (thus, giving part of their attention span) advertisement, and also hand personal data. When it comes to PII, even if the user set up a pseudonym and a generic PFP, the user is still handing, even if unbeknownst to the user themselves, their preferences, opinions, etc. Even lurkers end up handing PII whenever they stop at certain posts to read/see it (thus, signaling one's preferences) or use specific search queries (again, signaling one's preference).That's not what a VPN or incognito modes do.The incognito mode may not prevent tracking (especially because of the IP address), but rotating VPNs may do. Notice I used the word "may", not "will do", because of the behavioral tracking I mentioned earlier, as well as other technical aspects (DNS leaking, browser fingerprinting, etc). People who can afford being an actor/actress and performing very convincing alt-personas behind a VPN IP address could theoretically fool platforms enough for the person not to be tracked by their gait... except this dramaturgical skill is a behavioral tell (gait) itself. And the usage of a VPN-assigned IP address is another tell. !technology@lemmy.world