ArchStanton

gatorguy said:

bloggerblog said:

I actually don't mind Amazon collecting my data while browsing their site, I already gave them my address, CC info, and I'm there to shop, no big deal if they show me what may interest me. What I do mind however is Google swiping my data across sites and without me knowing, only to build a profile that could be used and sold in many nefarious ways.

LOL. Of course it's about Google in an Amazon thread. Yesterday it was about Google in a Facebook thread.  

Just for giggles tho, what are these nefarious (wicked) ways you imagine your Google profile is used?  It's already a known fact, even if maybe not to you, that they don't sell it. 

The story is about user privacy and user data collection. Google (and Facebook) are factually the very biggest , BY FAR, and factually the most detailed collectors, BY FAR, of a user's private data information. So a story about data privacy might just involve the biggest collector's of private data.

And what is nefarious about the data collection itself? That's like asking someone why they need privacy. Trying to turn the onus on the user to prove what theoretically a company might do with it. Lame. Regardless, to answer the question of "nefarious", the very breadth and depth of the numerous categories of private data collection is in itself something to raise a 'nefarious' eye too. Also, it's called Jigsaw, Google's Jigsaw. (yep, we know about that too)

But if it'll make you feel any better, all companies, ALL, should be looked at with at least a modicum of a skeptical eye when they want to record your data points that are clearly outside of the individual app and clearly categories that are being the focus of that app's usage. Apple is by far the winner in the privacy category but that does not give them free pass. Their ToS should be scrutinized too when they speak of collecting user data. 

pulseimages said:

Hardware leaks do not harm consumers at all. I’d rather know a company’s product plan ahead of time so I can plan accordingly if next year’s model is just a small refresh or a serious overhaul. 

False and confusing information is absolutely a harm to customers. "Leaks" assist in the mass of confusing information that us consumers already deal with (including, ahem, trolls that purposefully look to confuse the issue including disinformation posts, spreading gossip "leaks", troll farming/ruining products ratings systems). 

It is completely unneeded confusion (a.k.a. harm) to consumers when current buying information available is clear: right now company A offers X and company B offers Z.. That's it for consumers. Now you want to speculate that Apple is likely to offer a new product in September -- as that is their schedule -- and what features you'd like? Perfectly fine but that isn't people with marginal knowledge branding their words as "leaks".  To make that point clearer, did you buy the big Apple Television or buy stock in Apple because they are now a green energy electric vehicle maker? I know you wouldn't buy anything Apple but I'm sure you get the point. 

Here's good news for you. If you want to know what Apple(you don't) or Google or Samsung is going to release including the specs, those companies shockingly will announce it/release information on it when it's ready. Of course you may feel entitled to know anytime you want and laughably claim that's best for everyone -- back here in the real world you don't and it's not. 

netrox said:

darkvader said:

Apple is full of it, of course.  Secrecy hurts customers, particularly business customers.  It makes planning much harder when there's not even a vague roadmap, let alone knowledge of the next year of products.

Surprises are for children's birthday toys.  They're completely inappropriate for technology.

Wow, you obviously know nothing about competition and business. 

This poster knows nothing about a lot of things. From what I read his/her intention is to misinform. Him/her-other screen names and troll group should be completely disregarded. A harm to the great information outlet that the Internet and poster boards can be.

gatorguy said:

StrangeDays said:

gatorguy said:

Alex_V said:

I agree with all the comments so far. I had an exchange with a guy on FB over this issue. (There is irony there, I acknowledge.) He was talking up Google’s recent privacy changes, as if to say that they were the same as Apple’s. I pointed out that they stopped third parties from snooping, but Google can still snoop. I asked him: Google doesn’t make money selling phones, and they provide Android for free. Why would they do that? How do they make money? The answer is: they sell data on their users. The guy responded that he knew that because he was in marketing. So, why was he arguing about it on the internet?

Your friend lied.
Google doesn't sell user data. 

Selling targeted advertising access to sub-categories of users based on user data, is exactly what is meant when people say “sell your data”. They’re selling access to your metadata. Your little semantic games will never change that and just leave you looking intellectually dishonest. 

It's more YOUR little semantics game, and a very misleading one played by a few others. There's no advertiser access to user data, especially not YOUR OWN personal data. 
User data is not for sale, tho there are companies that do, even ones you inherently trust (perhaps because you don't know any better?)

Google places ads for companies based on baskets of ANONYMISED USERS WITH SIMILAR DEMOGRAPHICS in much the same way Apple creates baskets of users for delivering targeted ads in certain Apple services. Baby steps. You know why Apple treats that as OK to do? Because they aren't selling that data or even giving it away, and neither is Google. The intellectual dishonesty is pretending they do.

Is maintaining a talking point so important to you that using half-truths to do so is acceptable? Don't work that FUD. Be better than that. 

"In much the same way Apple does". And you accuse others of using half truths? Using the standard lie of 'see they all do it' to confuse the issue. It's becoming a time honored obfuscation for the Android crowd. 

The difference between what private information Google(and Facebook) collect on you(personally you not an obscure group) and what Apple collects on you is massive, and I mean MASSIVE! Anything Gatorguy says from this point will not factually contradict that, period, end of story.  He's trying the bait and switch with 'who gets to see that personal information'. Then using that to push ''see, they all do it' equivocation. It's used by the Android crowd time and time and time again -- and it's dishonest.
but they have to do that. The issue of privacy data mining is not just won by Apple, Apple wins it running away by 100 miles. That's not the simple claim of an Apple user, that is verifiable, quantifiable, indisputable fact. Everything they try to push from here will be to obscure that 100% fact.

But to play the obfuscation game: who gets to see the massive private information of a user on an Android platform and the minimal information that Apple collects? For both platforms it is negotiable via ToS updates(especially using gray area wording in the ToS. Don't ever believe that a company (Google, Facebook, even Apple) may not change their policy. They will.  For Google (and Facebook... among others) whose main income of 100 to 200 billion dollars per year in "advertising" revenue, this huge number is achieved by knowing as much about you as possible. I can almost guarantee there will be changes to ToS especially if these many billions in revenue start going south. 

It's free and relatively say to do: get a copy of the private data recorded by Google, by Facebook, by Apple. See the truth for yourself. Just be prepared to be shocked at how big the file and how huge the private information Google and Facebook have recorded on you (again this is fact, nothing Gatorguy or the others trying to cloud the issue can honestly dispute). 

chadbag said:

If you have to use FB OR Instagram (or Twitter but different comoany), and happen to see an ad for something you are interested in, don't touch or click the ad.  Just go to Safari and look up the company or shop directly, outside of FB.  We don't want the companies that use FB to advertise to think their ads do anything.   Also ads outside of FB should get the same treatment.  FB and others are selling that ad space as well.