Re: Some half-baked thoughts about cookies.

On Mon, Aug 27, 2018 at 1:21 PM Poul-Henning Kamp <phk@phk.freebsd.dk>
wrote:

> --------
> In message <CAKXHy=
> f9BZ4RVJVwvt1m8GeQ1D04x3Dz1PL8i8yjt4cLgyvVhA@mail.gmail.com>
> , Mike West writes:
>
> >On Mon, Aug 27, 2018 at 12:02 PM Poul-Henning Kamp <phk@phk.freebsd.dk>
> >wrote:
>
> >> >My impression is that folks are generally happier sending no
> identifier at
> >> >all when opting-out of advertisers' tracking (or an explicit "0" in the
> >> >case of platform-level advertising identifiers like we see on iOS and
> >> >Android), but randomizing on every hit is certainly something we could
> >> >consider doing.
> >>
> >> This is where I take the servers side.
> >>
> >> I want it to be random to give the server-sandwich has something
> >> to route on, and I want to mark it ephemeral so that servers can
> >> avoid storing session state that will never be reused.
> >>
> >> Ideally the server would prefer the client to say "I'm leaving,
> >> you'll never see this session again", but I doubt that would be
> >> reliable enough.
> >
> >
> >I see. You're not suggesting that the identifier would be changed on every
> >request, but after some period of time (e.g. after the user's private
> >browsing session ended), and that the ephemerality signal is a nice way to
> >let servers know that they can drop the session information after some
> >reasonable period of time.
>
> I'm sure there is a browser-world word for this, but I don't know it,
> so you will have to suffer a long-form description:
>
> I would expect an ephemeral ID to be forgotten when:
>
> A)  I close the browser or tab
>
> B)  Enter a new URL
>
> C)  Go to a bookmark
>
> D)  In any other way indicate that I'm done with this site.
>
> >I'm not sure user agents would want to advertise to servers that users are
> >in such a mode, as it seems like there would be consequences to doing so
> >(e.g. "We've noticed that you're visiting us ephemerally. How unfortunate!
> >Please opt back into persistence to read the next page."). Is there an
> >advantage to the user in this situation?
>
> Valid point.
>
> But we are not seing this with DNT or private browsing mode, are we ?
>

We are. Visit the Boston Globe in private mode, for example (e.g.
https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/nation/2018/08/26/mass-shooting-reported-jacksonville-fla/q17XvjlR2Aj6jfk4CuIcXN/story.html,
the current top story).


> I would expect it to be preferable to show "unoptimized" ads or make
> a sale, rather than reject users at the front door with no economic
> benefit ?


You would think that, wouldn't you. My impression is that that's not
exactly how it's playing out.

-mike