A NYT story I found interesting: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/13/busi ... imits.html
Synopsis:
• Guy eats BLT wrap purchased at Manhattan deli
• Guy gets sick and feels that this BLT gave him food poisoning
• Guy decides to open a web site where people can quickly and anonymously report "food-borne illness"
• Various big companies see their stock dip after food poisoning reports show up at this site
• Biggest example was Chipotle 2015 in Simi Valley which was an actual norovirus outbreak
• After this, web site charges up to $5k a month for real-time alerts on new posts to the web site
• Twice in 2017 dips in Chipotle stock price correlate to reports on Chipotle on this web site
• But these two dips did not correspond to observed outbreaks
• We don't know if the two dips were just day traders using the web site to cause Chipotle to dip
Bottom line to me is there is no vigorous procedure to figure out if the posts to the site are valid or not, but in the end many of the restaurants and investors end up giving this guy up to $5k/month just to be able to react to the possibly false reports,
Guy claims he's doing a service, since most people can't be arsed to file a report with a health service, and most health services can't be arsed to follow up either.
So is this guy a villian for blackmailing restaurants and causing stock market panics, or a genius for finding a way to profit in the new 'fake news' economy?
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Re: Too Much Power to the People? A Food Safety Site Tests the Limits
Information is just so valuable in modern era that can be used to make so much money even if they could be false. It would be better if a large tech company do this instead with more emphasis on distribution of info than directly make money off the service, but as thing currently stand people would simply let them profit from it.
Re: Too Much Power to the People? A Food Safety Site Tests the Limits
Same as yelp, trip advisor, skytrax, etc. They are all fraudulent scam companies in the end.
They extort businesses for good PR and reviews. Simple as that. The Yellow Pages did it, BBB did it, etc.
They extort businesses for good PR and reviews. Simple as that. The Yellow Pages did it, BBB did it, etc.
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- Revelation
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Re: Too Much Power to the People? A Food Safety Site Tests the Limits
c933103 wrote:Information is just so valuable in modern era that can be used to make so much money even if they could be false. It would be better if a large tech company do this instead with more emphasis on distribution of info than directly make money off the service, but as thing currently stand people would simply let them profit from it.
Yep, the message of the time is that we're all under-valuing our internet footprint.
Now we read Facebook is offering its own VPN service, mainly so it can be "inside the tunnel" and continue to monitize our activities.
Re: Too Much Power to the People? A Food Safety Site Tests the Limits
Revelation wrote:c933103 wrote:Information is just so valuable in modern era that can be used to make so much money even if they could be false. It would be better if a large tech company do this instead with more emphasis on distribution of info than directly make money off the service, but as thing currently stand people would simply let them profit from it.
Yep, the message of the time is that we're all under-valuing our internet footprint.
Now we read Facebook is offering its own VPN service, mainly so it can be "inside the tunnel" and continue to monitize our activities.
They surely worth a lot, that put companies that actually utilize internet footprint an edge over those that don't. For instance, visa, mastercard, or even paypal, capitalize on their service by simply charging transaction fee. On the other hand, some other emerging online transaction platforms like alipay in China, are able to offer their service without transaction fee, because they are eyeing on users' transaction history and making a business case off it.
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- DLFREEBIRD
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Re: Too Much Power to the People? A Food Safety Site Tests the Limits
if companies spent the resources need to make sure their customer's didn't get sick. This business model would not exist.
I am afraid to eat at Chipole, I don't even understand at this point why they have paying customers. Some of the Asian restaurant in my area prepare food on the floor. I know this because i've talked to my local food inspector. If i hadn't run into him, i would be eating at these restaurants clueless.
so. while you might not like this type of business model, it's better to have it out there than not.
especially since food inspector just fine, and only close down joints if it's really bad.
I am afraid to eat at Chipole, I don't even understand at this point why they have paying customers. Some of the Asian restaurant in my area prepare food on the floor. I know this because i've talked to my local food inspector. If i hadn't run into him, i would be eating at these restaurants clueless.
so. while you might not like this type of business model, it's better to have it out there than not.
especially since food inspector just fine, and only close down joints if it's really bad.
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