161 Partners
Earlier today, I opened one of the top links on r/worldnews. Something about Kier Starmer preparing to resign as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom? It’s beside the point for this post. Before I could even read the article, I was presented with this dickover:
Let’s be real … if The Observer actually cared at all about your privacy, they wouldn’t share your personal data with ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY ONE FUCKING PARTNERS. I mean, what the actual fuck?! At that point, the page load is likely more spyware code than it is article content. How much fucking data does The Observer1 need to collect about each and every one of their readers? In what universe is it acceptable to grant permission for their 161 partners to access my precise location, identifiable device characteristics, and device storage?
Fuck it — why stop at 161? Clearly, Google Tag Manager, Facebook’s tracking pixel, and whatever the fuck else they already have on their website isn’t enough. I’m sure all 161 of those integrations are necessary to run a digital billboard news publication in 2026. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: adding JavaScript to the modern web was a mistake. I do not understand how everyone is seemingly fine with the amount of surveillance we’re subjected to across the Internet on a daily basis.
Imagine if, upon purchasing a copy of the Sunday newspaper in 1791, you were followed around town by 161 men, taking note of everything you do throughout the day. Makes you wonder who’s really doing the observing.
Yeah, I’m gonna name and shame them. Fuck ‘em, along with anyone else that thinks this behaviour is acceptable. I’d actually have a sliver of respect for them if they were honest in their dickover copy. Something like, “We actually don’t give a fuck about your privacy, but we’re gonna pretend that you can choose to preserve it”. The cookie banner on vibe-coded.lol is more honest than this shit.↩