While we're at it, let's have BP teach us all why their oil spills and dumping of even more toxic chemicals into the ocean to cover those spills up are really no big deal.
Facebook has already managed to turn a large portion of the population into what I would consider "artificial", so may as well go one step further and make it official. I can't wait to have a group of artificial friends to tell me how great I am and report everything I say in return back to Facebook!
> Secondly, con-artists are people that mislead and manipulate other people to have a (personal) gain, either financially or otherwise.
That appears to be exactly what you're doing. Unless, of course, you're trying to claim that your company is some kind of altruistic non-profit that manipulates people for the greater good.
I fail to see how he is misleading as his tool is meant to provide facts that "persuade". Of course scumbag sellers could use it with falsified data. However, that doesn't make him the con-artist.
I did, and I agree with the criticism. The fact that you're offering factual information doesn't change the fact that you're:
1. Deliberately manipulating buying decisions for profit.
2. Concealing the fact that the information you present is intended to manipulate, not to inform.
3. Ignoring whether or not a buying decision will genuinely benefit the customer and not just the seller.
Put simply, you seem to have zero interest in the customer except as financial prey.
Do you really not understand how shady this is?
It's true that persuasion is everywhere - but so what? Germs, pollution, poisons, politicians, and other bad things are everywhere too. That doesn't mean we shouldn't try to mitigate their damaging effects.
If you don't understand why this is a problem, consider how customers would feel if you explained your manipulation up front.
How much damage would the brand suffer?
Now, if you had customers who were happy with your presentation after an open explanation ("Yes - tell me when you're about to run out of stock so I don't have to wait until you restock") that would be different.
But instead of giving them that choice you're using textbook psychological exploits to push their behaviour around in ways that benefit you, potentially at their expense - and IMO that's certainly not a cool thing to be doing.
Let me touch on each individual point of your criticism:
1) Doesn't every single shop/business try to convince (I'm not using manipulate because of it's incorrectness and the negative association some people may have, see other comment) you as a potential buyer through the same principles? Is that a bad thing? Why isn't it 'allowed' in your eyes to emphasize your strong points (usps) or factual info about a product? What's the difference between our tool and mentioning these facts on the site it self?
2) We inform people about a product shop with factual information so that they can make a better decision. Example: A customer is worried if this shop is legit. Letting them see a message with the number of positive reviews the shop has got can make that worry go away. Social proof also helps in this process (just like we do in the real world when seeing an empty restaurant versus a crowded restaurant).
3) See (2). Our main goal is trying to convince customers of buying at a shop. Helping the shop with communicating their sales pitch to customers isn't about ignoring the interest of the customer. It's in the interest of the shop owner that he guards the interest of the shopper or else his retention or returning rates are going to be very bad.
Your comparison of germs (etc) with persuasion misses every point...
If I would tell customers that if they feel insecure about something (is this shop legit?, is this a popular product?, how long do I have to get it tomorrow?) our tool would provide them with the answers to that at the right time (using our algorithms and data-analysis), then I'm sure no one would object.
Lastly: people are intelligent creatures. If stock info on a product doesn't have your interest but you see it anyway, you'll ignore it (like we do all day with other inputs/noise). But if you are interested in a product and need it fast, than a scarcity message at the right time will certainly help you.
> We could start recording everything that happens
You're in luck! Facebook, Google, and many of the wonderful, selfless people who post on HN are already working on that... or at least defending others' "right" to do so if they aren't doing it themselves.
Various entities are tracking who you know, who you sleep with (http://www.whosdrivingyou.org/blog/ubers-deleted-rides-of-gl...), what your face looks like, what your friends' faces look like (thanks, photo tagging enthusiasts!), who you talk to, what you say to them, when you say it, where you go (thanks to various wonderful sources, including ALPR companies like Vigilant), how long you stay there, what you eat, what you wear, what you watch, what you listen to, where you move your mouse while viewing websites, who your doctor is, what medications you take, what the symptoms of that last rash you had were, what your political views are, what you read, where you work, how many steps you took today, what websites you visit, and about 30,000 other bits of data... just to keep you safe!
The future is so amazing! I don't know what I would do without a customized advertising experience(tm). Such a drastic improvement over life in the past where people were so bored of advertisements that they chose to avoid watching them! What none of us knew at the time was that we really just wanted to see more relevant advertisements more often, while giving up our privacy for the corporations' greater good! I sleep much more soundly after a solid day of being bombarded with advertisements that teach me to be a better consumer!
Oh, but it's an "app". Totally innovative, then.