The Disconnected Niche

by reso on 9/27/2011, 6:47 PM with 30 comments
  • by rednaught on 9/27/2011, 7:33 PM

    A consortium or whatnot of startup(or existing) companies might be an interesting way to both announce/broadcast their services/products and also create a standard privacy/user-data policy. Any ideas? Work towards common goals:

    -Privacy by default, sharing only by opt-in.

    -Advertising (if necessary)is done in a manner that demographics are shared with advertisers in some standard structure/tiering of individual data that is entirely up to the user to decide comfort level(e.g. complete privacy - higher SAAS prices or give up a high amount of privacy - lower priced or almost free SAAS).

    -No externally hosted services(js-based offerings such as analytics, customer support, surveys, etc.) or if using a third party offering disclose who it is and only work those who also are members of the consortium.

    -Disclose infrastructure and back-end(non-visible)/external processing companies that are used to operate the service.

    -Agree that you won't pull a "Spotify" where user's data might be handed over to another company "after the fact." Announce changes like acquisitions or partnerships such that a change in access to user-data requires 30/60 days notice.

    -Allow permanent deletion of accounts and information, not toggling columns in a database to hide visibility.

    -Announce what details are captured regarding the user and make the entirety of that available for download in a common format.

    Re-reading this I must sound paranoid but I've always considered myself moderate compared to Stallman. Am I the only one concerned with "acceptable" privacy these days?

  • by jwhitlark on 9/27/2011, 7:25 PM

    As someone in that demographic, I must agree. My problem isn't paying for services, it's finding services that do what I want in a way I can trust. If someone came up with a way to do many of the things I need, with a "privacy circuit breaker " that they can't revoke, I'd shovel money at them.

  • by garethsprice on 9/27/2011, 7:42 PM

    Is it a niche though? Like the old Tolstoy quote "Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way" - are happy consumers alike in the same way, but are the disconnected all unhappy in their own way?

    There are plenty of techniques and products for the disconnected, but few of them ever gain wide traction - possibly because if a problem gets large enough, the market changes to reflect mainstream needs (eg. Facebook pulling Beacon when outrage became widespread).

  • by 100k on 9/27/2011, 7:51 PM

    Ironically(?) this site uses the following tracking cookies according to Ghostery: Facebook Connect, Google Analytics, MixPanel, Quancast, Twitter Button.

    As you might tell by the fact that I've got Ghostery installed, I am sort of in this niche, but I would consider myself wishy-washy. I don't like Facebook tracking my logins all over the web, but I use Google Analytics myself so I don't have a big problem with another site using it.

  • by y0ghur7_xxx on 9/27/2011, 7:28 PM

    I am such a person. You completely got me! But it's difficult to target ads at me, I adblock, because I don't want to be tracked.

    And, to the DDG example, I would add Funambol¹, one of a very few Italian startups.

    ¹https://www.forge.funambol.org/

  • by frenchieee on 9/27/2011, 6:57 PM

    Interesting point. It's been a long while since I've met someone who shied away from Facebook, (at least for that reason), but refusing to be tracked by Google seems more common. I don't suppose you are one of these people?

  • by stfu on 9/27/2011, 7:35 PM

    Absolutely agree. There is definitely a market for anonymity based products. I'm paying each month the same amount of money that I shill out for my internet access to services that increase anonymity (cascaded VPNs, etc.).

  • by diminish on 9/27/2011, 10:56 PM

    I wish there was an anonymous-browsing/app fork of Android for smart phones and tablets; kind of a full private mode. this way i would be able to navigate without fear of any tracking.

  • by losethos on 9/28/2011, 4:14 AM

    I haven't suffered, I guess. I noticed last time I made kick-ass progress on LoseThos, I got punished! Damn! Next, time, I'll go dig a ditch or something. If you get a reward without suffering, it's probably gonna turn into punishment!

    God says... C:\TEXT\QUIX.TXT

    is seldom wrong in matters of literature or history. In this instance, however, he is in error. It has everything to do with the author of "Don Quixote," for it is in fact these old walls that have given to Spain the name she is proudest of to-day. Gonzalo, above mentioned, it may be readily conceived, did not relish the appropriation by his brother of a name to which he himself had an equal right, for though nominally taken from the castle, it was in reality derived from the ancient territorial po

    ------------------------------

    Yeah, them Mexican prolly spooge long time. Meh. Lovely, dig a ditch, enjoy your food?

    The reason, I'm sure the world is just is... eat your favorite food every day and soon it won't pleasure you. Thus, highs and lows balance.

    -------------------------------

    God says... ehheh_thats_all_folks NOT wrath African Oh_really energy

  • by suivix on 9/27/2011, 8:27 PM

    Any sites that try to fill the disconnected niche will inherently limit their capabilities, which is amusing since it caters to the tech-crowd.