Be that as it may, here's the cold, hard truth you need to face:
I understand this is not a new collection of data. We're having a conversation so I'm inclined to trust you on the matter, like colleagues.
The entirety of reddit, however, is rather less rational than I am. You are playing with fire here. I appreciate your direct response - don't get it twisted - but not everyone will weigh "principles" vs "OMG someone responded to my comment"
I could probably verify "no new collection of data", but do you actually believe that most people will go to the trouble? I know my way around a system, but I'm probably the least qualified subscriber to /r/sysadmin.
You're worried about the qualified folks, and people like me who care and know something, but not everything.
If you're aiming for the people in between, then fuck you. If you want the people who know their way around a box and the people who barely know their way around a laptop AND everyone in between... You need to reconsider.
While I very much appreciate your direct response (more than I've gotten otherwise), if you think that I will tolerate being tracked for random links - affiliate or otherwise - without informed consent, you're mistaken.
Here's the nut of it: If you want to be (or pretend to be) a bastion of informed consent, you can damned well uphold the same standards as other professions that are held to informed consent. Mind you, my clients work in insurance so I have deep and broad experience in "must get signatures to proceed".
Consent is not a cookie that says "OK, track my shit." Your admin mind, with all due respect, would be blown by what consent actually is. Consent is the [Acord 35](http://www.acegroup.com/us-en/assets/acord-policy-release.pdf_
Anything less authoritative than the goddamn Acord 35 is not consent to change anything. Yes, it's a cancellation form. If you want to argue semantics, I can provide you with an equivalent policy change form. Or an application. Are you starting to get the idea?
The one and only thing that I ask of you is that you get my fucking consent before you track me. My browser screenshot is full of things that are designed to prevent people from tracking me.... Except for the sites I've whitelisted.
That's right, I want to give you money, you dumb son of a bitch, and you are making it challenging for me to do that! Let me reiterate: I WANT TO GIVE YOU MONEY BECAUSE I LIKE REDDIT! You are on the cusp of breaking the fact that I like reddit. I don't think you quite understand the implications of the same.
I am angry, but i am happy to clarify the above if I have been unclear in any way. Please feel free to reply or PM, I'm open to both. I view this as a very, very serious problem. I also view this as a chance to share my opinion for the benefit of the community at large, and so I will share at length.
You have my username, you have my IP (there are two, neighbor's and mine, feel free to PM for clarity), I've been a redditor for a minute or two, though I changed usernames along the way. If you give even the slightest fraction of a damn, you'll find me.
If you actually care about the answer, I will gladly put my face on Skype to explain why I am livid over this change and to actually have a discussion over it.
Want to go and have a Trump v Bernie debate? Give me 24 hours notice and sort out the technical details and I'm up for it. You (collectively) have crossed a line and the worst of it is the notification... And the fact that you just don't get it.
I am absolutely serious about the debate - real time or otherwise. Reddit is the one and only place that I feel comfortable, but this aspie will happily go head to head on privacy if it comes down to it.
If you're willing to bring it publicly, you might be able to get away with "We notified people and thought it was OK." If it's later exposed, you've got a serious problem.