undefined | Better HN

0 pointsipaddr1y ago0 comments

Probation only moves the activities underground. Not focusing on ad tech specifically but removing all advertising would mean finding other ways to get your message out which is advertising. The only way to stop it is to stop communication in form and function.

Limiting certain types of advertising or changing tax codes to not allow dedicating expensive could shape it in a way that meshes with society.

Trying to rein in the abuses you saw in the adtech world starts with Google, Facebook, Amazon, Microsoft being dissolved.

0 comments

threatofrain1y ago

> Probation only moves the activities underground.

That implies that people want ads and they're going to be consuming underground ads from their ad dealers. Which actually already impinges on advertising because advertising doesn't want to be secret, advertising wants to be as visible or popular as possible. Advertising is inherently easier to regulate because of this.

gavmor1y ago

[content creators] want ads and they're going to be consuming underground ads from their ad dealers. Examples: AudioGO, PodcastOne, Acast.

threatofrain1y ago

And advertisers want content creators for... exposure. Which makes you visible to enforcement. All sides of the market must endeavor to keep the speakeasy a secret, including those that consume the ads at the end.

SllX1y ago

Google and Facebook sure, you could even make the argument that their non-adtech businesses would be collateral damage, but Amazon and Microsoft have substantial non-advertising related businesses. I'm curious why you lumped them in?

ipaddrOP1y ago

Amazon makes a lot from Amazon ads in their own search results. Also Amazon prime. Microsoft from bing / Windows ads. Just in news/search they made over 10 billion. Microsoft / Amazon most the bulk of their money in the cloud.

SllX1y ago

Well that’s not quite correct. If you look at their most recent 10-K, Ads made up about 8% of Amazon’s revenue. The bulk of their revenue is still retail (online, physical and third party seller services) with AWS providing about 16%.

Microsoft’s largest segment is cloud, but it doesn’t quite provide the bulk. Their ads business is small compared to the rest.

Certainly killing advertising would hurt them, but I’m not seeing a mortal wound here, so I thought I was missing something when you lumped them in.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse

0 comments

threatofrain1y ago

> Probation only moves the activities underground.

gavmor1y ago

[content creators] want ads and they're going to be consuming underground ads from their ad dealers. Examples: AudioGO, PodcastOne, Acast.

threatofrain1y ago

SllX1y ago

ipaddrOP1y ago

SllX1y ago

Microsoft’s largest segment is cloud, but it doesn’t quite provide the bulk. Their ads business is small compared to the rest.

Certainly killing advertising would hurt them, but I’m not seeing a mortal wound here, so I thought I was missing something when you lumped them in.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse