<story><title>The Perks Are Great, Just Don’t Ask What We Do</title><url>https://backchannel.com/the-perks-are-great-just-dont-ask-us-what-we-do-d5abc6867103?source=rss----d16afa0ae7c---4</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>aresant</author><text>So what else is new.&lt;p&gt;If you work at Facebook or Google you&amp;#x27;re benefiting directly from the similarly shady practices they used to grow on their way to being &amp;quot;pillars of tech&amp;quot; today.&lt;p&gt;Do you remember when at LEAST 20% of Facebook&amp;#x27;s revenue came from Zynga? Like less than 5 years ago? Many speculated it was considerably higher, but Facebook never provided a full accounting (1).&lt;p&gt;Or do you remember when Facebook literally had an &amp;quot;affiliate marketing panel&amp;quot; that they worked with at the C-suite level packed with guys selling weight loss affiliate slop? Almost impossible to find reference of it now, was well known in many circles and you can still see references of it here and there. (2)&lt;p&gt;Or maybe when Google was caught colluding with a notorious gangster when he turned state&amp;#x27;s evidence to demonstrate to the DOJ how quickly Google was willing to skirt around laws to sell illegally imported drugs? They were fined $500,000,000.00. Google was. (3)&lt;p&gt;50onRed is clearly engaged in scumb-bag advertising practices, but at least they keep good company.&lt;p&gt;(1) &lt;a href=&quot;http:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;allthingsd.com&amp;#x2F;20120423&amp;#x2F;zynga-accounted-for-15-percent-of-facebooks-revenues-in-q1&amp;#x2F;&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;allthingsd.com&amp;#x2F;20120423&amp;#x2F;zynga-accounted-for-15-percen...&lt;/a&gt;&lt;p&gt;(2) &lt;a href=&quot;http:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;www.shoemoney.com&amp;#x2F;2009&amp;#x2F;11&amp;#x2F;16&amp;#x2F;dennis-yu-rise-and-fall-of-a-con-man-in-the-affiliate-industry&amp;#x2F;&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;www.shoemoney.com&amp;#x2F;2009&amp;#x2F;11&amp;#x2F;16&amp;#x2F;dennis-yu-rise-and-fall-...&lt;/a&gt; &amp;amp; &lt;a href=&quot;http:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;www.jimcockrum.com&amp;#x2F;blog&amp;#x2F;2011&amp;#x2F;10&amp;#x2F;19&amp;#x2F;the-biggest-dog-in-affiliate-marketing-is-starting-to-sound-a-lot-like-me&amp;#x2F;&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;www.jimcockrum.com&amp;#x2F;blog&amp;#x2F;2011&amp;#x2F;10&amp;#x2F;19&amp;#x2F;the-biggest-dog-in...&lt;/a&gt; &amp;amp; &lt;a href=&quot;http:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;techcrunch.com&amp;#x2F;2009&amp;#x2F;11&amp;#x2F;01&amp;#x2F;how-to-spam-facebook-like-a-pro-an-insiders-confession&amp;#x2F;&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;techcrunch.com&amp;#x2F;2009&amp;#x2F;11&amp;#x2F;01&amp;#x2F;how-to-spam-facebook-like-a...&lt;/a&gt;&lt;p&gt;(3) &lt;a href=&quot;https:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;www.justice.gov&amp;#x2F;opa&amp;#x2F;pr&amp;#x2F;google-forfeits-500-million-generated-online-ads-prescription-drug-sales-canadian-online&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;www.justice.gov&amp;#x2F;opa&amp;#x2F;pr&amp;#x2F;google-forfeits-500-million-g...&lt;/a&gt; &amp;amp; &lt;a href=&quot;https:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;www.wired.com&amp;#x2F;2013&amp;#x2F;05&amp;#x2F;google-pharma-whitaker-sting&amp;#x2F;&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;www.wired.com&amp;#x2F;2013&amp;#x2F;05&amp;#x2F;google-pharma-whitaker-sting&amp;#x2F;&lt;/a&gt;</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>notatoad</author><text>Or in a similar vein, when YC funded the adware distribution company InstallMonetizer.&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;www.techdirt.com&amp;#x2F;articles&amp;#x2F;20130115&amp;#x2F;17343321692&amp;#x2F;why-are-y-combinator-andreessen-horowitz-backing-drive-by-toolbaradware-installer.shtml&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;www.techdirt.com&amp;#x2F;articles&amp;#x2F;20130115&amp;#x2F;17343321692&amp;#x2F;why-a...&lt;/a&gt;</text></comment>
<story><title>The Perks Are Great, Just Don’t Ask What We Do</title><url>https://backchannel.com/the-perks-are-great-just-dont-ask-us-what-we-do-d5abc6867103?source=rss----d16afa0ae7c---4</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>aresant</author><text>So what else is new.&lt;p&gt;If you work at Facebook or Google you&amp;#x27;re benefiting directly from the similarly shady practices they used to grow on their way to being &amp;quot;pillars of tech&amp;quot; today.&lt;p&gt;Do you remember when at LEAST 20% of Facebook&amp;#x27;s revenue came from Zynga? Like less than 5 years ago? Many speculated it was considerably higher, but Facebook never provided a full accounting (1).&lt;p&gt;Or do you remember when Facebook literally had an &amp;quot;affiliate marketing panel&amp;quot; that they worked with at the C-suite level packed with guys selling weight loss affiliate slop? Almost impossible to find reference of it now, was well known in many circles and you can still see references of it here and there. (2)&lt;p&gt;Or maybe when Google was caught colluding with a notorious gangster when he turned state&amp;#x27;s evidence to demonstrate to the DOJ how quickly Google was willing to skirt around laws to sell illegally imported drugs? They were fined $500,000,000.00. Google was. (3)&lt;p&gt;50onRed is clearly engaged in scumb-bag advertising practices, but at least they keep good company.&lt;p&gt;(1) &lt;a href=&quot;http:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;allthingsd.com&amp;#x2F;20120423&amp;#x2F;zynga-accounted-for-15-percent-of-facebooks-revenues-in-q1&amp;#x2F;&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;allthingsd.com&amp;#x2F;20120423&amp;#x2F;zynga-accounted-for-15-percen...&lt;/a&gt;&lt;p&gt;(2) &lt;a href=&quot;http:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;www.shoemoney.com&amp;#x2F;2009&amp;#x2F;11&amp;#x2F;16&amp;#x2F;dennis-yu-rise-and-fall-of-a-con-man-in-the-affiliate-industry&amp;#x2F;&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;www.shoemoney.com&amp;#x2F;2009&amp;#x2F;11&amp;#x2F;16&amp;#x2F;dennis-yu-rise-and-fall-...&lt;/a&gt; &amp;amp; &lt;a href=&quot;http:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;www.jimcockrum.com&amp;#x2F;blog&amp;#x2F;2011&amp;#x2F;10&amp;#x2F;19&amp;#x2F;the-biggest-dog-in-affiliate-marketing-is-starting-to-sound-a-lot-like-me&amp;#x2F;&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;www.jimcockrum.com&amp;#x2F;blog&amp;#x2F;2011&amp;#x2F;10&amp;#x2F;19&amp;#x2F;the-biggest-dog-in...&lt;/a&gt; &amp;amp; &lt;a href=&quot;http:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;techcrunch.com&amp;#x2F;2009&amp;#x2F;11&amp;#x2F;01&amp;#x2F;how-to-spam-facebook-like-a-pro-an-insiders-confession&amp;#x2F;&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;techcrunch.com&amp;#x2F;2009&amp;#x2F;11&amp;#x2F;01&amp;#x2F;how-to-spam-facebook-like-a...&lt;/a&gt;&lt;p&gt;(3) &lt;a href=&quot;https:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;www.justice.gov&amp;#x2F;opa&amp;#x2F;pr&amp;#x2F;google-forfeits-500-million-generated-online-ads-prescription-drug-sales-canadian-online&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;www.justice.gov&amp;#x2F;opa&amp;#x2F;pr&amp;#x2F;google-forfeits-500-million-g...&lt;/a&gt; &amp;amp; &lt;a href=&quot;https:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;www.wired.com&amp;#x2F;2013&amp;#x2F;05&amp;#x2F;google-pharma-whitaker-sting&amp;#x2F;&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;www.wired.com&amp;#x2F;2013&amp;#x2F;05&amp;#x2F;google-pharma-whitaker-sting&amp;#x2F;&lt;/a&gt;</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>eanzenberg</author><text>Not sure how you compare 1) and 2) to ad-injections. Those are companies which purchase ad-space on websites which sell ad-space, solved by visiting those sites less. Not ad-ware installed to deliver ads to your browser, solved by switching browsers..? reformatting hard-drive..? replacing your computer..?</text></comment>