On 09/27/2017 10:09 PM, Cecilia Tanaka wrote:
Pirate Bay, Showtime caught forcing visitors to mine cryptocurrency for them https://www.rt.com/news/404820-piratebay-showtime-cryptocurrency-mining/
------------ Strange, but sharing just for curiosity...
c.
I get that some are promoting CPU-based cryptocurrency mining as an alternative funding source for websites. Ideally, this would replace tracking and advertising, and not just add to it.
From a privacy perspective, CPU load is clearly better than tracking. From a usability perspective, sluggishness from CPU load is arguably better than distraction from ads. Plus network load, especially for low-bandwidth users. And by the way, these are Javascript, not malware drops, so mining ends when you leave the website.
Many have proposed micropayments as an alternative funding source for websites. This proposal is similar. It's just that you're mining the payment while you browse. Rather than buying some token, perhaps a cryptocurrency, and then paying with it. It's a lot simpler, and requires no user setup. It'd also be better from an equity perspective, I think. Even if micropayments for website use were low, they'd be a greater burden on people with less money. But everyone browsing a website has the requisite device. However, devices with weaker CPUs would need to work harder, and requisite mining might take longer, so there is some inequity. Anyway, an interesting development.
---------- "Don't let anyone rob you of your imagination, your creativity, or your curiosity. It's your place in the world; it's your life. Go on and do all you can with it, and make it the life you want to live." - Mae Jemison