Re: [LUG] Unnecessary Questions

An alternative view;

Surely the provider of the service you want to use has the right to demand anything they like in return for providing it?

If you deem it's a bad deal for you, you have the obvious option of not using it - this is at least a somewhat more up-front method of data mining than tracking cookies and background profiling, which you don't get much say in (without making an effort to set up blocking software) ÂYou could drop out, you could send a polite/information/ranting email to them explaining why you did not choose to opt in (being aware that you're submitting personal info at the time)

If enough people opt not to sign up and thus cannot use the service, the provider will either change practice or stop (or be forced to stop) their business. If enough provide it to serve their needs, they'll keep it going. There's not /many/ things on the internet that you can't get elsewhere (there's a few, certainly).

They want something back from you in return. It's just business. Good or bad business, time will tell.

(Although the only time I think I've been asked for DOB as mandatory to progress on a random site is american hosted computer game sites who are required by law to include these pointless and annoying age checks - but it's not the content provider's fault)

On 14 September 2014 13:21, Neil Winchurst <barnaby@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

I have noticed recently that it is becoming more and more a requirement
to register on some web sites before you are allowed to browse. This
annoys me. It my well turn out that, after looking around a site, I
decide that I have no interest in it after all. But I have had to
register to see it. Then I have the chore of de-registering.

But even more annoying is what I call unnecessary questions. One of the
worst, IMHO, is being asked for your DOB. I had a good example of this
yesterday. I was looking around for possibly setting up a web email
address to use when I don't want to use my real one (eg registering as
mentioned above, sometimes they ask for an email address).Â I was asked
for first name and last name and date of birth. What possible reason
could there be for the last one? This is just to send a receive emails.
Why ever do they need my DOB?

Am I right to be getting annoyed with all this, or am I missing
something?

Neil

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