Do we have evidence of Artificial Insanity?

[David Griffiths]

There is a well known definition of insanity along the lines that it means doing the same things time after time and expecting a different result. That process appears to be going on on this site, although of course we can't be sure what the expectation is.

I've just been asked to accept cookies for the third time in two days. Heaven knows how many times that is in total, but it's got to be well over 100. My answer is always the same, for this site or any other, which is essential cookies only. But of course that is not good enough for whatever drives the request. I'll be asked again in a few days, or even a few hours. What is the motivation behind this? Do they really expect a different outcome one day? (see above definition) Perhaps they hope that I'll accidentally say yes, and I'd bet that I'd never get the chance to change that answer.

Of course someone might point at my answer and wonder if I'm expecting a different response to refusal. Sadly, that's not the case. I fully expect to get the question asked again and again, so (to me at least) i don't fall in that definition.

And then there's the follow up question about accepting notifications. For me that answer will always be no, and one of the follow up questions gives the option for the system to "Never Ask Again" Alas never is a particularly short period of time on this site, and it will come up again in a week.

So is this persistent asking of the same questions artificial insanty? Or something else? Or is it me?

 

[fisicx]

It’s a result of increasing automation and the relentless desire for tracking data.

Install ghostery and tracking goes away along with those repeated cookie requests. And use either Firefox or Brave. Delete that well know spyware browser called Chrome.

 

[Ozzy]

The 'notification' setting should be just once and is controlled by your browser. The forum software will ask, and you set the setting in your browser itself and that should be the end of it. If you are being asked that again I'm afraid that one is outside my control, it is your browser that is not remembering the option.

As for the cookies, there are two in play. One is the forum software that covers the 'articles' part of the site, it's a thin popup with 'cookie consent' and of that is asking you more than once I can get that looked at.

The bigger one, with more options and settings, is controlled by Google who inject the ads into this site. It re-asks every time there is a change in the data processor list, and that happens every few weeks or so.

 

[DontAsk]

Which browser?

It's a real pain to use UKBF with Brave, even with shields down. The notification question would come up every time I logged in. I have reported UKBF to Brave as a non-working site, but I doubt they did anything. I don't use Brave at the moment so don't see that problem.

 

[Newchodge]

There is a well known definition of insanity along the lines that it means doing the same things time after time and expecting a different result. That process appears to be going on on this site, although of course we can't be sure what the expectation is.

I've just been asked to accept cookies for the third time in two days. Heaven knows how many times that is in total, but it's got to be well over 100. My answer is always the same, for this site or any other, which is essential cookies only. But of course that is not good enough for whatever drives the request. I'll be asked again in a few days, or even a few hours. What is the motivation behind this? Do they really expect a different outcome one day? (see above definition) Perhaps they hope that I'll accidentally say yes, and I'd bet that I'd never get the chance to change that answer.

Of course someone might point at my answer and wonder if I'm expecting a different response to refusal. Sadly, that's not the case. I fully expect to get the question asked again and again, so (to me at least) i don't fall in that definition.

And then there's the follow up question about accepting notifications. For me that answer will always be no, and one of the follow up questions gives the option for the system to "Never Ask Again" Alas never is a particularly short period of time on this site, and it will come up again in a week.

So is this persistent asking of the same questions artificial insanty? Or something else? Or is it me?

I don't recall ever being asked about cookies on this site. Certainly not in the last year.

EDIT: Just read the other posts. I use Firefox.