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0 pointsWorkaccount27mo ago0 comments

>2. If I as the human request the software on my computer to modify the content before displaying it, for example by installing an ad-blocker into my user agent, then that's my choice and the website should not be notified about it. Most users agree, some websites try to nag you into modifying the software you run locally.

If I put time and effort into a website and it's content, I should expect no compensation despite bearing all costs.

Is that something everyone would agree with?

The internet should be entirely behind paywalls, besides content that is already provided ad free.

Is that something everyone would agree with?

I think the problem you need to be thinking about is "How can the internet work if no one wants to pay anything for anything?"

0 comments

Bjartr7mo ago

You're free to deny access to your site arbitrarily, including for lack of compensation.

ndiddy7mo ago

This article is about Cloudflare attempting to deny Perplexity access to their demo site by blocking Perplexity's declared user-agent and official IP range. Perplexity responded to this denial by impersonating Google Chrome on macOS and rotating through IPs not listed in their published IP range to access the site anyway. This means it's not just "you're free to deny access to your site arbitrarily", it's "you're free to play a cat-and-mouse game indefinitely where the other side is a giant company with hundreds of millions of dollars in VC funding".

Bjartr7mo ago

The comment I'm responding to established a slightly different context by asking a specific question about getting compensation from site visitors.

cjonas7mo ago

Like for people or are using a ad block or for a crawler downloading your content so it can be used by an AI response?

Bjartr7mo ago

Arbitrarily, as in for any reason. It's your site, you decide what constraints an incoming request must meet for it to get a response containing the content of your site.

Workaccount2OP7mo ago

>and the website should not be notified about it.

giantrobot7mo ago

My user agent and its handling of your content once it's on my computer are not your concern. You don't need to know if the data is parsed by a screen reader, an AI agent, or just piped to /dev/null. It's simply not your concern and never will be.

nradov7mo ago

Yes, I agree with that. If a website owner expects compensation then they should use a paywall.

Chris20487mo ago

If I put time and effort into a food recipe should I (get) compensation?

the answer is apparently "no", and I don't really how recipe books have suffered as a result of less gatekeeping.

"How will the internet work"? Probably better in some ways. There is plenty of valuable content on the internet given for free, it's being buried in low-value AI slop.

Workaccount2OP7mo ago

You understand that HN is ad supported too, right?

Chris20487mo ago

No, I don't.

But what is your point? Is the value in HN primarily in its hosting, or the non-ad-supported community?

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0 pointsWorkaccount27mo ago0 comments

If I put time and effort into a website and it's content, I should expect no compensation despite bearing all costs.

Is that something everyone would agree with?

The internet should be entirely behind paywalls, besides content that is already provided ad free.

Is that something everyone would agree with?

I think the problem you need to be thinking about is "How can the internet work if no one wants to pay anything for anything?"

0 comments

Bjartr7mo ago

You're free to deny access to your site arbitrarily, including for lack of compensation.

ndiddy7mo ago

Bjartr7mo ago

The comment I'm responding to established a slightly different context by asking a specific question about getting compensation from site visitors.

cjonas7mo ago

Like for people or are using a ad block or for a crawler downloading your content so it can be used by an AI response?

Bjartr7mo ago

Arbitrarily, as in for any reason. It's your site, you decide what constraints an incoming request must meet for it to get a response containing the content of your site.

Workaccount2OP7mo ago

>and the website should not be notified about it.

giantrobot7mo ago

nradov7mo ago

Yes, I agree with that. If a website owner expects compensation then they should use a paywall.

Chris20487mo ago

If I put time and effort into a food recipe should I (get) compensation?

the answer is apparently "no", and I don't really how recipe books have suffered as a result of less gatekeeping.

"How will the internet work"? Probably better in some ways. There is plenty of valuable content on the internet given for free, it's being buried in low-value AI slop.

Workaccount2OP7mo ago

You understand that HN is ad supported too, right?

Chris20487mo ago

No, I don't.

But what is your point? Is the value in HN primarily in its hosting, or the non-ad-supported community?

1 more reply

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse