> Companies want to track me. I want companies to track me.
If you actively _want_ companies to track you, then you take an unusual position.
> So what's the source of the friction
The right to privacy if you want it. Someone wanting to let people to follow you around should not override the preference of those who would prefer not. The "why should I care that other people care" argument is very similar to those who argue against smoking restrictions (or seatbelt requirements, and so on) because "it should be our choice" without thinking about the potential consequences to others.
> if not law itself or its direct consequences?
The source of friction is how the complaints have chosen to interpret the law. They have chosen to do this in a way that causes maximum inconvenience to anyone who want is protections (many are actually in direct contravention of the rules, despite their claims otherwise, but let's for a moment ignore that companies are actively breaking the law). That it also inconveniences people who want to be tracked is a desired sideeffect as it means those people are weaponised in ad-tech's favour in discussions about such matters.
> I think other parties try to force me to care when I don't by introducing all that friction.
As well as the binary "your choice" vs "my choice" that completely ignores those who have not yet stated there preference, have not yet decided, or do not yet even know there is a choice, or are just passing by. This is why active consent should be the default requirement.
> There's a talk about DNT. What's the reason no browser has…
Your premise is incorrect: Some browsers do. It doesn't work because companies ignore it. It is not in the laws that they shouldn't ignore it because ad-tech and their lobbyists successfully campaigned against that being in the legislation. Again: ad-tech is the reason for your inconvenience, not other people's preference not to be tracked.
Part of the issue is that there is a conflict of interests in done quarters, with makers of browsers also being part of the ad-tech stalking business, another place the effects of this are seen is in changes that prevent us choosing to actively block being tracked because we can't express it choice more passively because DNT is ignored.
> I think it would be quite popular.
We very much agree there.
> So it's probably prevented by the law itself
It is not. Show me anywhere in the current legislation where UAs implementing a DNT flag (which, I say again, some do) or ad-hoc tech respecting such a flag is prevented (either directly, or by accidental interaction between rules).
How about an alternative: have a one-click "track me if you want" flag? (Of course it would be terribly naive to think companies would not also just ignore that and track when it isn't set at thier convenience).
> How about an alternative: have a one-click "track me if you want" flag?
That's exactly what I was asking for. It should exist. My theory why it doesn't is that it wouldn't constitute informed case by case consent. So it's illegal.
> Of course it would be terribly naive to think companies would not also just ignore that and track when it isn't set at their convenience
I don't care about that because I want to be tracked, just silently.
If I were to design law I wouldn't ban tracking. I would make sites that do track make the information they have on "me" available to me for viewing and possibly editing at my request.
It wouldn't be even "cookie law" because whatever information you tie and store to whatever identity should be available to this identity.
Unfortunately the spec is official deprecated, rather than just ignored by sites, because without any regulatory weight it, well, would forever just be ignored by those who want to ignore it.
> I would make sites that do track make the information they have on "me" available to me for viewing and possibly editing at my request.
So, GDPR? That is not a cookie law but governs the tracking of PII, including the right to be given a report of what is stored about you and the right to be forgotten¹. Though it isn't finer grained than that: you can have yourself removed entirely and request corrections, but it does not prescribe any option for more selective deleting.
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[1] except where that would impinge on other regulation, for instance in industries my day job services companies have to keep certain details of people for certain lengths of time (indefinitely for those associated with selling pensions, for instance) for dealing with complaints and other regulator matters in the long term.
Oh. I think we have a misunderstanding. I thought you knew some browsers that support some sort of please-do-track-me-quietly.
> So, GDPR?
Right but about all data and all identities. You believe that holder of cookie <guid> likes cats? If my browser holds that cookie you should be forced by law to offer UI where I can see the preference for cats and possibly change it or delete it.
If you actively _want_ companies to track you, then you take an unusual position.
> So what's the source of the friction
The right to privacy if you want it. Someone wanting to let people to follow you around should not override the preference of those who would prefer not. The "why should I care that other people care" argument is very similar to those who argue against smoking restrictions (or seatbelt requirements, and so on) because "it should be our choice" without thinking about the potential consequences to others.
> if not law itself or its direct consequences?
The source of friction is how the complaints have chosen to interpret the law. They have chosen to do this in a way that causes maximum inconvenience to anyone who want is protections (many are actually in direct contravention of the rules, despite their claims otherwise, but let's for a moment ignore that companies are actively breaking the law). That it also inconveniences people who want to be tracked is a desired sideeffect as it means those people are weaponised in ad-tech's favour in discussions about such matters.
> I think other parties try to force me to care when I don't by introducing all that friction.
As well as the binary "your choice" vs "my choice" that completely ignores those who have not yet stated there preference, have not yet decided, or do not yet even know there is a choice, or are just passing by. This is why active consent should be the default requirement.
> There's a talk about DNT. What's the reason no browser has…
Your premise is incorrect: Some browsers do. It doesn't work because companies ignore it. It is not in the laws that they shouldn't ignore it because ad-tech and their lobbyists successfully campaigned against that being in the legislation. Again: ad-tech is the reason for your inconvenience, not other people's preference not to be tracked.
Part of the issue is that there is a conflict of interests in done quarters, with makers of browsers also being part of the ad-tech stalking business, another place the effects of this are seen is in changes that prevent us choosing to actively block being tracked because we can't express it choice more passively because DNT is ignored.
> I think it would be quite popular.
We very much agree there.
> So it's probably prevented by the law itself
It is not. Show me anywhere in the current legislation where UAs implementing a DNT flag (which, I say again, some do) or ad-hoc tech respecting such a flag is prevented (either directly, or by accidental interaction between rules).
How about an alternative: have a one-click "track me if you want" flag? (Of course it would be terribly naive to think companies would not also just ignore that and track when it isn't set at thier convenience).