[11thEarlOfMar]

I've been contemplating performing an experiment where I use a new device without creating any accounts, then, seeing how useful the Internet is. (Rhetorically...)

Can I use maps to navigate?

Can I browse the Twitter feeds of a few favorite accounts?

Can I consume free video content on YouTube, or any free movies?

Can I make a reservation at a restaurant?

Then, for those activities that I cannot do, is there still a real-world analog method? I used to look up stock prices in the newspaper and buy and sell stocks by phoning by brokerage. Is that still possible?

As the activities of daily life have moved online, our ability to participate in society has attenuated. Has that attenuation yet reached a pathological state? If so, policy needs to provide a way any such activities that cannot be performed without paying with privacy still have a non-Internet method.

[buffet_overflow]

I think this would be an interesting experiment, and I'd happily follow it. However, a complication here is that some sites/services still track you/modify their offerings without the need for an account.

I wonder if you did this across multiple devices, you could start noticing differences based on what you used for what. A/B test them back.

[donclark]

I like your thoughts on this. This would be an interesting experiment to document what you are and are not successful at. And try to push it further...