[wowamit]

I wonder why does Google need the web activity to be turned on for subscribing to the Podcasts? Is there any realistic reasoning for it?

[elliekelly]

I bet they run targeted advertising in the podcast based on each listener’s web activity. Now I’m dreading the day YouTube makes the switch and doesn’t let you watch any monetized videos unless you consent to being tracked.

[tagawa]

I think this is the part hidden from view when companies claim they let users opt out of data collection. Yes you can opt out, but some (possibly unrelated) features won’t be available to you.

[wowamit]

Yes, but I think when they disable that feature, they must provide some justification that is believable right? I can't think of any for this.

[SifJar]

"if we can't profit from you, you can't use our services" seems like a fairly reasonable justification from a business' perspective

[Cthulhu_]

I know podcasts are generally advertised via an RSS feed on a webpage, but that should be collected by e.g. Google (or Spotify, Apple), not directly by a device.

[a3n]

Bait. That's today's reality.