Hell yeah they owe us. Their services would not exist without our user data (netflix excluded).
Internet is still relatively young, but I think eventually we're going to have to have laws that regulate how companies that collect user details allow access to 3rd parties.
Monopolies are illegal for a reason. Companies who build infrastructure have to manage it fairly.
And for that data, they provide you with services. That doesn't mean they should be required to hand that data out to any service that requests it?
I mean, are you really asking that companies like LinkedIn allow free access to it's api's and user data to any 3rd party that requests it?
> Monopolies are illegal for a reason.
Well, no. Monopolies just require additional oversight. Microsoft, for example, didn't get in trouble for being a monopoly, it got in trouble for unfair business practices as a monopoly. More importantly, a monopoly doesn't exist with any of the companies presented in this article.
Really though, your comment fits with the picture at the top of the article.
Not sure what you are trying to say here. Are you suggesting that if the members want their data free, they can "negotiate" for allowing 3rd parties to access it? That goes without saying.
So, either you are saying something else, or just stating the status quo.
If there were laws regulating how data is provided, I think that as a company, I'd simply stop providing data entirely. It definitely wouldn't be free.
APIs are nice, but legal hassles aren't worth dealing with.
If you're a company, you'll do what makes you money, regardless of how you feel about regulations that affect you.
Legal hassles are totally worth dealing with if the cost of managing them doesn't exceed your profit. If you're the right company, legal red tape can be a very effective barrier to entry.
It's very unlikely that any free API is going to make you enough money to deal with any legal hassles. Some companies will charge API clients through the nose. Others will cut off access. Either way, it's not going to lead to a more free ecosystem.
Netflix included, actually. Their recommendation engine has been a selling point for them since the start, and it's built on data provided to them by the users.
then leave and don't use it. No one owes you anything people have free choice to use whatever services they want. If you really feel a company owes you something and isn't doing what you expect don't use it.
Internet is still relatively young, but I think eventually we're going to have to have laws that regulate how companies that collect user details allow access to 3rd parties.
Monopolies are illegal for a reason. Companies who build infrastructure have to manage it fairly.