George writes: "Are you saying that lying to a supermarket is more justifiable than skipping ads? Skipping ads is a passive activity that doesn't affect anyone. No one even knows if you skip the ad or not. Lying to a supermarket is a willful and deceitful activity that causes the supermarket to have bad data in its database."

Jamie Kellner (chairman and CEO of Turner Broadcasting) says that skipping ads is theft. Jack Valenti (Hollywood spokesman) tried to outlaw the VCR because of people skipping ads. Now I don't agree with them, but they represent powerful and influential interests. On the other hand, I don't see Safeway lobbying to pass special laws to force their customers to provide accurate personal info for marketing purposes.