Thread by @Carnage4Life

1) Some thoughts on online advertising. Targeted ads based on user behavior basically involve companies you do business with like banks, retailers and your cellular provider either selling your data to data brokers like Oracle or giving data to FB/GOOG/etc to reach you with ads.

2) Almost every scare mongering article written about Facebook applies to Google, Twitter, and a host of other second tier ad network.

However the reality is that these articles won't change consumer behavior because no article worse than what they already accept.

3) Users already accept that browsing or shopping for something on a retailer site means ads follow them around news sites, Facebook, etc and still continue to use those news sites & services from FB/GOOG/etc.

In fact, the constant coverage helped propel Facebook to record usage

5)Since end users aren't boycotting these services, privacy articles basically are primarily influencing legislators and inter-industry competition between journalists.

However laws have fundamentally aimed at ensuring users are providing informed consent not ending ad targeting

6) Laws like Europe's GDPR & California's CCPA require apps to tell you that they're going to give your data to Facebook and require Facebook to tell you your ads are customized based on your data.

Most users consider relevant ads a feature not a bug and will opt-in.

7) These laws will mostly kill scenarios where users can't meaningfully opt-in like going to NY Times or WaPo website with a dozen trackers today. No non-user hostile way to get users to opt-in to that.

This is inevitable unless enforcement of these laws put on hold or repealed

8) Bottom line: Targeted ads are here to stay. Media storm in teacup articles about privacy issues actually drive usage of services like Facebook (no such thing as bad press) & real violators are companies who give away your data without being up front not FB/GOOG/etc who don't.