The notion that people should be able to not be tracked while using the Web is gaining momentum in Congress and the browser community.
This morning’s project is to change this web site to show what a world without tracking is like. Once I put the changes in place, the web site will only track what stations and shows you listen to IF you explicitly go to the Preferences and turn “Allow Tracking” on. By default, the site will not track you.
What this means is the things you do will have no effect on the statistics or popularity of the stations or shows. Being the passive aggressive person I am, if you choose to not allow tracking, you will not receive the benefits either. You won’t be able to sort by popularity, you won’t be able to look at trend graphs or listening statistics – shows will appear in alphabetical order. In short, about 90% of the value of the web site will go away – unless you allow your activities to be tracked.
Tracking is tied to your Cookie in the browser, not your “Account”. If you delete cookies, you will have to go back and “Opt in” again. With tracking turned off, you will not be able to test streams, report broken streams or anything that relies on a test to see if you actually clicked on the Listen button first.
Everything of value has a price, even if you don’t see it.
