Kate Nyhan

Wow
New frontier in #PublisherValueAdd
You can't look at a BMC journal website unless you accept ads and the use of your personal data, or sign up for a paid Contentpass subscription
????????

Correction: this applies to SpringerMedicine dot com. At Springer dot com, I can still access it without accepting tracking.

#privacy #scholcomm #AcademicChatter

Mar 24 at 4:14pmWeb
Show threadKate Nyhan3d ago
I ran into this at https://www.springermedicine.com/bmc-public-health/22399108
BMC Public Health

As the second largest open access public health journal in the world, BMC Public Health is a peer reviewed journal with a broad scope welcoming articles on the epidemiology of disease and the understanding of all aspects of public health. With a …

springermedicine.com
Show threadKate Nyhan3d ago

ROTFL at "our ad-funded service"
You know how OpenAlex provides an estimate of APCs for search results?
BioMed Central so far in 2026:

21,030 works
$45,560,000 APC list prices

Show threadKate Nyhan3d ago
Among the items they ask for:
Profiles for personalized advertising on Springer Medicine journal websites
Precise geolocation data and identification through device scanning
Political advertising consent (in German)
Show threadChris Hartgerink (they/them)3d ago
@nyhan i am so sick of the web sometimes.
Show threadMike Taylor 🦕3d ago

@nyhan … aaaand I will never submit an article to BMC.

Apart from anything else, "Unfortunately, we cannot offer our ad-funded service without your consent to personalized ads" is such an obvious, transparent, barefaced lie. They CHOOSE not to offer the service without personalized ads, and we all know it. Why pretend?

Screw that.

Show threadJ Miller3d ago

@nyhan

Might be time to use an account + device with incoherent personal data? Mix some random Mastodon posts into your real searches?

I feel like this is especially intrusive for people trying to legitimately do their own research on a health condition. Perhaps librarians will be using their accounts to “launder” searches for patrons. (Not volunteering you, just speculating).