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If you pay with your data instead of money, how does that make a service "free"? It would only be free if your data was worthless. But then they would not colle

• Groxx 16y ago
  Be careful how you define value / cost / worth. It costs me nothing if they duplicate information I give them. It costs me something if it's used to abusively manipulate me. It pays me something if it's used to manipulate me (ie, what I see) in ways I approve of.
  • codeup 16y ago
    Does the duplication of private information reduce it's value? I think it does. If there is a transfer of value from you to a company then you can call transfer that a sort of payment. The company may sell you something in return, but I wouldn't confuse selling with paying.
    • Groxx 16y ago
      >The company may sell you something in return, but I wouldn't confuse selling with paying. Absolutely, those are entirely different. But you do seem to be defining "providing a service" as not-paying. If you go down that route, why do houses cost money? You are paying the builders for their service, but if that's not-paying, then you're just giving away huge sums of money for zero value in return. Tangibility isn't a defining line, or utility companies would be out (they don't provide water, they bring it to you. An intangible service.). The service in these cases being fewer "enlarge your breasts/penis" ads for the wrong sex, or anything you may find offensive, replaced by ads which (ideally) would help you discover things you want which you may not have found otherwise. You're paying the ad services to be your personal product investigators, and they return value by providing relevancy. edited to add more. I'm done now!