Fwd: Megakey innovation, the future of web privacy?

Enjoy!

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: 	Megakey innovation, the future of web privacy?
Resent-Date: 	Mon, 21 Jan 2013 07:45:18 +0000
Resent-From: 	public-privacy@w3.org
Date: 	Mon, 21 Jan 2013 07:44:51 +0000
From: 	Fred Andrews <fredandw@live.com>
To: 	W3C Public Privacy <public-privacy@w3.org>
CC: 	twitter@kim.com <twitter@kim.com>



Kim Dotcom has announced his 'MegaKey' innovation.  It appears to be software that users can choose to install that will replace web site advertising and allow users to choose his alternative advertising network.  See: http://www.stuff.co.nz/technology/8202105/Dotcom-Now-I-m-after-Google

It's not yet clear if this is a browser extension, a rewriting proxy, or an OS level overlay?

I also note that Kim Dotcom is championing privacy, so perhaps would consider privacy in his replacement advertising network?

Perhaps we can open up this technology to offer users a choice in the advertising network that delivers ads, and the reward path, and this might create an ecosystem that gives users interested in privacy some choice.

Some suggestions: a declarative method to allow websites to publish a 'ad viewing donation' account so that they can inform users who to donate to them for the great content and service; a method to declare a default advertising network that would be conditional on the user not selecting a network.

For example if users happen to want to donate to Google or Yahoo or Facebook for the great service they provide then these website authors could include a payment destination for the users chosen advertising network donation.  If users want to channel their rewards back to Mega movie viewing rewards then they also have this choice.  Obviously this would all need to be a private matter between the user and their chosen advertising network and this may require some enhanced web browser security and perhaps the work of the PUA CG could help but this could depend on how its implemented.

There are probably lots of other ways that competing advertising networks could add value for users.  Currently some of the biggest online advertising networks are minimizing their tax and if users were given a choice then they could choose networks that bill revenue in their local country and this might bring Governments much more tax revenue and buy support for the technology.   Kim, perhaps this is a carrot you could dangle in front of Governments - and probably a much bigger carrot than their current 'donations'?

An open advertising network economy could help privacy by allowing businesses to enter the market with products that are designed for privacy and offer a choice for users.  The DNT work tries to come up with one compromise giving users no choice whereas giving users a choice of adverting network seems a much better option and more like a democratic free-market approach to solving the problem.

If websites object to ad replacement and try to block users by spying on them then the work of the PUA CG in securing the web browser state may become critical to this new market, and the industry may need to start recognizing the threat of a website against the users interests and taking this into account in standards.

Would anyone have contacts in the Government that could help fund the standards work and the development of an implementation?

Would anyone have business contacts who wants to invest in this new market and want to support open standards?

cheers
Fred