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Advertising: the Internet's Original Sin

posted by LaminatorX on Monday August 18 2014, @11:22PM   
from the TV-ate-the-apple dept.

germanbird writes:

The Atlantic has posted an interesting article on internet advertising calling it The Internet's Original Sin. Written by Ethan Zuckerman, who worked at Tripod during the birth of online ads, the article does a good job identifying the issues with relying on ads as the primary source of funding behind the internet. Ethan also speculates on some possible solutions to the problem—which mostly lean toward subscriptions as funding.

• Re:Internet worked fine before ads (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 20 2014, @04:00AM

  by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 20 2014, @04:00AM (#83378)

  To start, here is a brief history of spam/U(C)E [with apologies/acknowledgements to Stephen Hawking :) ]

  Please take time to read this webpage:

  http://www.templetons.com/brad/spamterm.html [templetons.com]

  It is a quite informative historical overview of bulk posted unwanted (commercial) email. If email (abuse) interests you, please read this page.

  I'll just add here a few other infamous megaspammers I know of that are not mentioned in the above page you might (not?) already know about:

  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanford_Wallace [wikipedia.org]

  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Ralsky [wikipedia.org]

  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Richter [wikipedia.org]

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

  I'll add here my online history as you've mentioned yours....

  I first got online via America Online. I had used 'Wintel' PCs for quite a while back then but the Internet was new to me. So with the help of AOL's GUI, I learned how to get around this wonderful communications medium.

  After a few years (I guess), I was skilled enough in using the Internet that I only used AOL as an ISP to get online so I dropped them to get away from their ad-laden online walled community. Leaving AOL was difficult and time consuming dealing with their account retention department and telling them repeatedly and politely that I wanted to cancel my service. I finally did and found out they had changed my long distance phone carrier to 'The Phone Company' a company they own! I was so surprised when I found out about that! I guess that was something buried in the fine print of their user agreement when I signed up with them in the first place. Remembering this 'dirty trick', the next time I started phone service I made a point to tell the customer service representative to put a 'lock' on my account to prevent my long distance carrier from being switched without my knowledge or consent. Nowadays, it is all moot as I only have a cellphone and use a cellular-based ISP to surf the Internet. Anyway, I was basically online at the start of the World Wide Web and one/two things were INSTRUMENTAL in erroding its value as a global communications medium as a way to make a buck:

  1) JavaScript

  2) window.open [the NOTORIOUS JavaScript 'popup' command! (>_<);;; ]

  Popup ads got SO BAD back then that 3rd-party blocking software appeared to automatically close them the instant they opened. They did this by reading the titlebar text of the opened window and closing it on sight if the text was on the block list. Knowing this, the marketers changed around this text to evade the popup blockers. It was an epic, yet fruitless war between the two camps--essentially a stalemate. Two other things I remember related to popups was the (defunct?) website 'popups must die!' and the (true?) ghoulish story of the guy who created JavaScript who died and was buried and was repeatedly disinterred by 'graverobbers' as a 'popup' and protest of it and all the trouble online it caused by its abuse by marketers! o_O;

  Then email spam became a problem and I took steps to try to to avoid it.

  Then sometime after that, email malware started showing up with names like ILOVEYOU, Melissa, and the like.... :P When run, the malware turned your PC into an email spam relay to blast more unwanted email spam out onto the internet at large. If I remember right, at its height, email spam accounted for over 90% of the email traffic on the internet!

  Unscrupulous marketers/scamsters were STILL not satisfied!...

  So they primarily abused Internet Explorer to get malware on user's PCs in the form of 'drive by' downloads. This form of malware is TRULY insidious as it is programmed to trick you into divulding logon information that is attached to money-bearing accounts you own so they can clean them out--making YOU a victim of fraud and theft that you have to prove to the firms you do business with that are affected.

  This is almost impossible to do! Here is a true story that illustrates this:

  Long ago, I used to have a membership at a particular national video rental chain. You know which one it is but I won't mention their name as you will soon see. One day I start getting notices in the mail for overdue movies I NEVER REMEMBER RENTING!!! Upon further investigation the rentals were in VHS format. By the time these notices appeared, I had already switched over to using DVDs to watch movies so I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt I didn't rent the movies in question. In short, I was a victim of identity fraud. I tried to explain this to the collection agency that was hounding me for tapes I NEVER RENTED but they didn't belive my word. So I had to go to a police station and fill out an affidavit that explained my innocense in this matter and sent it to them. Only then were they satisfied that I was telling the truth and stopped mailing me.

  Recently, some banking malware got on my PC. After that happened I went to my bank's online site to do business and I got certificate errors from the browser. I dismissed this as a problem on their end but was careful to keep my guard up. At that time I did business with a particular firm that my bank flagged as suspicious so they contacted me about it. I assured them the charge in question was legitimate. When this was done there was a change in the logon proceedure where there was additional information required for me to sign on and use my account....

  I ALMOST FELL FOR IT!!! o_O;;;

  One piece of information prestented to me as a 'hint' was WRONG! Had it been correct I quite likely would have been an identity theft victim AGAIN!!! (>_<);;;

  It was then I was convinced I had truly insidious malware on my PC that would do something like this. Thankfully, I was able to find and remove it. Apparantly this malware is named 'Zeus' and tries to impersonate banks you do business when you go to their online websites. The tipoff are the security certificate errors your brower alerts you about. DO NOT EVER IGNORE THESE! If you ever get one after reading this post, immediately scan your PC for malware--you just may have Zeus as I had.

  I said all of the above to come to this conclusion: The Internet is a great source of information but some people either abuse its resources to make a buck or use it as a malware delivery platform to outright steal money wholesale from unsuspecting victims.

  This problem has gotten SO BAD you might need THREE COMPUTERS to use the Internet....

  1) A computer that stays off-line PERMANENTLY, beyond the reach of online thieves and fraudsters due to the 'air gap'. Only retail software distributed on 'pressed' CDs / DVDs are ever loaded into this computer to minimize the chance of putting malware on it.

  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_gap_(networking) [wikipedia.org]

  2) An 'online money computer' that goes online to ONLY directly visit HTTPS-secured online sites you do business with for REAL MONEY and NOTHING ELSE! NO SOFTWARE WHATSOEVER IS installed by the owner/user on this computer. To increase security, use a 'guest' system account
  to go online to avoid the 'unlikely' case of getting 'driveby malware' from these sites you do business with.

  3) A computer that can go online anywhere at all times EXCEPT to the websites accessed by computer #2. Try to use a 'guest' system account to avoid 'driveby malware'. Use an online malware scanner like

  http://www.virustotal.com/ [virustotal.com]

  to scan software distribution (.EXE) files BEFORE you download them and install them later. Be sure to have the needed software handy to re-install the operating system in case this computer is irreversibly comprimised. In that case, back up all the non-program-file content you can, reformat the hard drive so the system boots again and copy/move it all back. I have read an earlier story here or elsewhere on the internet about TRULY INSIDIOUS malware that can survive a total system reformat/refresh!!! o_O; If this happens to you, you might not be able to detect it or do anything about it if detected. If that is the case, consider the PC 'bricked' and buy a new one with cash at a reputable store that has been in business for five years [irs.gov] or more. If the cashier asks for your zip code to track the sale for marketing purposes, use a valid zip code that is NOT on your state-issued ID card. DO NOT use 90210 [imdb.com] unless you 'look the part' to the cashier. DO NOT order one mail order as this increases your chances of getting [techdirt.com] an 0wned [extremetech.com] computer that was diverted from the manufacturer/(online)mail order company to the state surveillance agency then sent on to you. Feel free to keep the 'bricked' computer as a permanently offline 'junk computer' that could be used as a media player/game computer that NEVER EVER has data copied/typed back to the primary three computers. Once it stops working for good, have it properly recycled or thrown away for maximum security to yourself and your business affairs.

  For VERY HIGH security, please do the following:

  1) Put a different BIOS level password [xkcd.com] (generated in an offline manner by using dice [std.com]) on each of all 3 computers.

  2) Use an operating system capabable of strong 'transparent encryption' where data is encrypted when written to the hard disk and decrypted when it is read back into the computer's RAM. Be sure to put a different system level password on each of all three computers as it is the encryption/decryption key needed to use each computer. For added security, these three passwords can be different from the ones in step 1 above. If you are unable to memorize all 3/6 passwords then writing them down and storing them in your wallet [wikipedia.org] or equivalient storage space appears to be sufficient. But whatever you do, DO NOT lose them or you are locked out of your data (and possibly your computers) FOR GOOD!!!

  3) NEVER EVER go online with computer #1.

  4) NEVER EVER visit a website you DON'T do business with with compter #2.

  5) NEVER EVER go online with computers #2 and #3 at the same time.

  6) NEVER EVER be online at all when transferring information among the three PCs. Do that like this:

      6a) Use 'burnt' CDs/DVDs to copy information from computer #1 to computers #2 and #3.
      6b) Use 'burnt' CDs/DVDs to copy information from computer #2 to computers #3.
      6c) Retype information from computer #3 into computers #1 or #2.
      6d) Retype information from computer #2 into computer #1.

  7) If you are 'on the go', take all three PCs (laptops) with you and NEVER EVER let them leave your sight/possession AT ALL COSTS! Only use PC #3 when away from home when needed or to interface/network with other PCs you do not own. Consider using metal case(s) [wikipedia.org] to store your laptops during transport.

  52. Anonymous Coward, Jan 24th, 2014 @ 1:52pm

  I've actually met Andrea in person (she graciously agreed to sign my PGP key), and there's a couple things that seem to make an NSA interdiction more probable, in my mind.

  First, unsurprisingly, Andrea uses Linux. But that's not the point I want to make, in of itself. She's also a developer, familiar with tweaking source code, recompiling it, and using it in her daily activities.

  Further, she also uses a metal attache case to transport her laptop, specifically because it acts as an excellent Faraday cage. (I don't know if she was just joking when she gave that as her reason for using the case, but she sounded quite serious!)

  It wouldn't surprise me if somebody decided that it was too risky to try a software penetration (she alerted to the fact that my anti-virus falsely triggered on one of her emails, until I was able to demonstrate that it was normal activity), and somewhat difficult to remotely compromise one of her machines. They wouldn't even be sure that whatever bugs or backdoors they're using still exist, because she modifies and recompiles her own software on a regular basis. Conversely, a new hardware order would provide an excellent way to get access.

  Is it possible that it's just a shipping shenanigan? Yes, of course. But it would not surprise me if somebody felt they had to go hardware to try and compromise Andrea's systems, that's all I'm saying.

  -- Comment post seen at:

  https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20140124/10564825981/nsa-interception-action-tor-developers-computer-gets-mysteriously-re-routed-to-virginia.shtml [techdirt.com]

  8) Forget about leaving the Continental ('Lower 48') United States. You won't be able to take your computers with you when leave due to DHS/TSA regulations. If you MUST travel out of there to another part of the USA/world with a computer, buy and configure a new computer as explained above. Next, encrypt and upload any data you need to an online email service you can access at home AND at your destination. Go on your trip allowing DHS/TSA to examine your computer. It boots up and there is nothing of interest on it. Once you get to your destination, go online, download your encrypted data and and decrypt it. This kind of encryption/decryption has to be done in a 'bootstrap' [gurus.org] fashion [bellard.org] as you don't want REAL crypto software like PGP [wikipedia.org] or GPG [wikipedia.org] or even Visual Studio [microsoft.com] on this computer AT ALL! when you are all done and ready to return home, encrypt and upload the data you want to keep to a (different) email service, then wipe [dban.org] the hardisk of data, wear gloves and wipe all the laptop/storage case [wikipedia.org] surfaces of your fingerprints, put the laptop in the case, close it (don't lock it!), and destroy and dispose of the CD-R [dban.org] after wiping it for fingerprints beforehand, and take the laptop/case with you--leaving it behind discreetly somewhere where you see no one watching you for someone else to find it. Be sure to travel during cold weather at your destination so you can wear gloves 'legitimately' and not leave your finger prints on the case handle. Be sure to include the cost of the PC/case AND the other 3 PCs at your home in your compensation so you are reimbursed for these expenses. When you get back home, buy three new laptops as explained above at 3 different stores in 3 different chains that are identical to the ones you already have and swap the hardisks with them. You now have three more 'junk computers' that might have been 0wned by state-level surveillance while you were away and three brand new primary computers you can trust again. However, if you can do this kind of work from home via encrypted means you can avoid the DHS/TSA and all the expense, inconvennience, hassle, and secret-agent-style machinations required altogether.

  If you live 100% alone at home with no one else ever allowed in your house/apartment unless you watch them at all times (no bathroom breaks!), then this policy/procedure is the ONLY way I know of to prevent malware from jumping the 'air gap' from computer #3 to the other two computers. It also has the added security benefit of protecting computer #1 from state-level compromise provided you are not 0wned by their use of TEMPEST [wikipedia.org] surveillance technology or are 'knocked out' somehow by them while at home and they 'break in', 0wn your PCs, and leave undetected while you sleep. When you wake up, your PCs are compromised and don't/won't know/realize it!

  Note that the security measures explained above are ULTIMATELY POINTLESS IF all computer manufacturers on the face of the Earth have been all subverted by their respecteve intelligence agencies--allowing them to manufacture 0wned computers at the manufaturing plants for sale and distribution worldwide! If that happens, privacy through encryption will be (utterly) dead as all the hardware is compromised. The last resort would be a (clandestine?) effort by privacy advocates to RE-INVENT exploit-free computer technology from the days of ENIAC [wikipedia.org] forward--a MASSIVE, EXPENSIVE undertaking!

  If you decide to embark upon (hopefully nonviolent) activites that may make you a state-level 'person of interest', consider doing them as anonymously as possible. This basically requires you to use an Internet connection you don't pay for located as far away from where you live as possible under the cover of 'strong encryption' by using disposable email addresses that are only used once to send a message and once to recieve a reply and contain the needed email addresses for the next 'one-off' email exchange. Changing the IP addresses/email providers used and varying the intervals of time between messages in a random manner will accord you all the security and peace of mind you are able to get in today's global surveillance state which is sadly regulated [doc.gov] for software/hardware programmers [cr.yp.to] in the USA which opposes the First Amendment [archives.gov] right to free speech there which reads:

  Amendment I

  Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

  In closing, I ask this....

  Is it fair to consider mathematical transformations and the exclusive-or function that can be used to facillitate a private conversation through the use of encryption and decryption to be the same as dangerous, deadly weapons like these?...

  The Gadget: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trinity_(nuclear_test) [wikipedia.org]

  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Boy [wikipedia.org]

  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fat_Man [wikipedia.org]

  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivy_Mike [wikipedia.org]

  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castle_Bravo [wikipedia.org]

  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsar_Bomba [wikipedia.org]

  The bad guys don't care about rules when they use encryption--if they ever do. They likey meet in person in hopefully 'unbugged' areas or noisy busy places and pass terse notes written on tiny pieces of rice paper that can be swallowed quickly if needed to each other to avoid a long, incriminating conversation between themselves being recorded at a distance by sensitive directional microphones operated by personnel working for (state level) intelligence agencies. So why not get rid of all the regulations on 'strong encryption' and join the rest of the world using it to keep their private matters private?...

  Parent