How viewing SFT might impact your privacy:
Like a lot of writers on the internet (I might be the only person in my generation almost completely unable to say "blogger" with a straight face), I use advertising as a way to generate income from the site (Ditto for "blog". Seriously, it just feels absurd), and include the social network share/follow/like/tweet/whateverthefuckthekidsaredoingthesedays buttons to help spread the site and expand readership. These options may not be the most effective (in the entire existence of SFT, ad revenue has yet to reach the cash out threshold for Adsense, meaning I technically haven't made a dime), but they are much less obtrusive and annoying then other methods of growing readership and monetizing content.Unfortunately, less obtrusive does not mean unobtrusive. Other than the obvious fact that the ads and social buttons are a visible part of the page (albeit one I try to not let intrude too much on the layout), there are numerous privacy issues associated with both. Simply put, I am not collecting personal data on you, but I can't guarantee the third party services I use in a futile attempt to make this site successful aren't.
What you can do about it:
A lot, it turns out. That link offers a great deal of advice on settings, add-ons, and general behavior you can use to keep your private information out of potentially unscrupulous hands, organized by browser and platform. Sure, blocking ads and social network tools hampers my ability to make money and promote the site, but I can hardly blame you for taking reasonable precautions against being tracked and profiled on the internet.How you can protect yourself and still support SFT:
As before stated, what meager income I gain (eventually, assuming I ever reach the cash out threshold) from my writing and what little promotion I am able to do for the site are more or less dependent on these occasionally suspect methods. Blocking them both in their entirety means you are basically enjoying the fruits of my labor completely free of charge, and depriving me of reasonable compensation for my time. It is kind of like that guy all of us have worked with, the one that never once paid for a copy of the newspaper but was always ready to grab one that someone left behind in the break room, sometimes even lurking around waiting for a coworker to finish reading like some sort of creepy newsprint vulture. |
| Just hurry up and die, old man. I need to see how Family Circus manages to be asinine this week! |
Sure, it isn't outright stealing, but it is still kind of a dick move.
However, your options aren't limited to the extremes of "being an insufferable asshole" and "whoring out my personal information like a cheap prostitute". There are a few intermediate steps that allow the site's services to keep working without compromising your privacy:
- Enabling the "Do Not Track" option in your browser will tell sites that you are ok with ads as long as they don't track you. While nothing guarantees that they will give a shit, above the board advertisers are likely to honor your request, so its a good step in the right direction.
- If you use Adblock Plus to deal with ads, making sure the "Allow acceptable ads" feature is enabled (it is on by default for new installs, so unless you have been using Adblock Plus forever all you have to do is make sure not to intentionally disable it). This settings means that non-invasive ads won't be blocked by the extension, allowing ad revenue for the site while still keeping the worst stuff out of your way.
- Using the Priv3 extension to keep social network buttons from tracking you still loads said buttons, but keeps them from realizing you visited the site unless you click on them. This means that you can browse while logged into a social network without fear of being tracked, but can still choose to share things you find interesting.
Unfortunately, I know there are a few of you out there for which there is not such thing as "intermediate steps" when it comes to security. If you insist on going all tinfoil hat over the issue, the tools mentioned on this page can be used to strip this site of all advertising and social functions, and there isn't really anything I can do to stop you (not that I necessarily even want to, you probably have your reasons). If this is the route you want to take, I would ask that you consider sharing SFT with your friends by either posting links to the site on social networks the old fashioned way or simple word of mouth, and if you think your total enjoyment of my work is worth at least 3 bucks, consider making a donation with the button below (no tracking, promise!).
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