Web analytics practices fail to meet the ethical standard of informed consent — the same standard required for human research in academia. Opt-out mechanisms, cookie banners, and passive consent clauses don't qualify. The author argues the industry's refusal to respect users is why GDPR and similar regulations exist, and that attempts to find loopholes are a losing strategy. The only real solution is to stop tracking users without genuine consent, or to compensate them for their participation.
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