Amazon pulls lock screen ads from discounted Prime phones

Ertman · February 7, 2018

7 hours ago, Ryujin2003 said:

Again, I get the consumer weighing the pros and cons. But it still doesn't make Amazon's implementation any more or less ethically/morally acceptable.

I don’t really see the value in the trade off, but I don’t really understand how Amazon’s implementation as outlined in this thread, creates any ethical/moral dilemmas of any substance.

Derangel · February 7, 2018

10 hours ago, Ryujin2003 said:

I totally get that, and I'm not arguing against needing a cheap phone nor against a company having to find ways to offset cost of services. (I call this a service because it's for Prime subscribers only). I'm super stoked it's going away, but felt concerned it was a thing to begin with. It's like they are capitalizing on either those who just wanted a cheap phone for no reason (not that big a deal) or on those who honestly cannot afford anything "mainstream". You get what you can afford, but I feel like having your phone be used for advertising is a bit invasive and takes advantage of the customer.

Again, I get the consumer weighing the pros and cons. But it still doesn't make Amazon's implementation any more or less ethically/morally acceptable.

How is it morally or ethically wrong? Amazon is offering massive discounts on some phones and being very upfront about lock screen ads. They make it obvious that the ad support is what helps pay for the phones being so cheap. I paid $500 for a G6+ from Amazon, the MSRP on that phone is $800. That is a $300 discount compared to MSRP. I think it is perfectly reasonable to have ads at that point and Amazon makes it very obvious that ads are there. Right after the name of the phone, in big bold letters, it says "with Lockscreen offers and ads". The main picture of the phone on the product page says it as well. If Amazon was deceiving people or hiding the fact that it has ads then your could have a valid morality argument, but it is front and center. Customers go in fully aware that there are ads. They're give that knowledge and allowed to decide for themselves if they feel it is worth it. All the Prime Exclusive phones I've looked at it do the same thing as the G6+ page, so it isn't just unique to that one phone.

dizmo · February 8, 2018

On 2/6/2018 at 1:03 PM, Ryujin2003 said:

I agree with you on that.

I really just don't like the ads being pushed part. I can go back and readdress the tone. I only use my lockscreen to see what time it is. I don't have emails or notifications or anything else available there.

I just do not understand why there doesn't seem to be a moral/ethical line for advertisements within the online space. It's constant, all the time. And I never really noticed how bad it was until my son started showing brand recognition for things we've never purchased, but has picked up from commercials and advertisements he sees on TV or in mobile games when he goes off to his grand parents.

And I do agree, with your last statement with the ads being removed, I feel like they would sell better. If I needed a budget phone, i personally wouldn't chose a Prime phone with constant advertisements. However, since those are gone, if I needed to get a cheap phone, it would be a good place to start.

Yeah, me either. I like seeing what notifications I have app wise, but that's about it.

I don't see why you think it's only an online thing. There are advertisements everywhere, and a lot are specifically targeted at kids. Unless you kept him away from every kind of media, that was bound to happen eventually. Which, frankly, isn't healthy in itself. Exposure and guidance is the best route.

Apparently they removed the ads more by requirement then good deed. Google is changing it's permissions and no app is allowed to place ads on the lock screen. They're just playing it off as a "good deed." Guess one might as well.