[dhimes]

This meme needs to be shouted from the mountaintops until everybody understands it. Indeed you are correct- a company can be pure evil and charge you for wrecking your privacy. But if the app is free, that's all they can do and it's pretty obvious they are going to do it. If they are charging you for the product, there is at least some hope that they won't, and if they do, they have crossed a moral line- in the same sense as someone selling your email address.

[dragonwriter]

> This meme needs to be shouted from the mountaintops until everybody understands it.

This meme needs to die in a fire as it is actively harmful for understanding economic interactions in the real world.

[dhimes]

Nonsense. The problem is that it is not harmful enough to those who wish to operate a business by taking advantage of others' ignorance.

In a fair business transaction both sides understand the implications of said transaction. In this type, one is vastly more aware of what is being collected and how it may be used than the other.

It's like being tricked/coerced into giving up the mineral rights to your property because you don't understand the value. Or domain name squatting.

Oh, I know. "It's just business." So that makes it ok.

[gress]

Nope. Those sophisticated enough to have a nuanced discussion about economic models can handle a coarse meme.

The meme serves to dispel the notion that free-of-charge services don't cost you anything.

This notion is a deception relied on businesses that monetize personal data to fool consumers into undervaluing the data they provide.

[izzydata]

This isn't a "meme". Please stop using that word where it doesn't belong.

[netcan]

I think it's too late for that. But, I'm not sure if it is inaccurate. It's definitely closer to the proper meaning than captioned pictures of cats.

We need to cut losses get Richard Dawkins to rename memes. Actually a beautiful case in point irony to it.

[dragonwriter]

> This isn't a "meme".

Its as much a self-replicating unit of behavior as posting a cat picture is.

[dhimes]

Please enlighten me. I'm talking Dawkins, not 4chan.