My biggest question to this type of thing is, what data? Why is it you’re all so concerned about a tech company knowing how you use their services or what you’re spending your money on?
The only ones I’m worried about doing that are foreign owned companies that operate in realms where my personal data could be actively harmful. I don’t use TikTok because our only real military adversary is using it to assemble Petabytes worth of data on Western populations which they can turn into cyberware via reactionary propaganda.
Know what I don’t care about? Doordash knowing what I’m more likely to spend my money on. Microsoft trying to sell me an Office365 subscription.
“Outraged bystander” yeah, clearly. Most of you are just parrots who follow the FOSS crowd but don’t know enough to actually vet their information. You think they’re all these full stack programmers who have deep insights but most of them are just paranoid hobbyists who think any shred of data on their spending habits = the end of the free world. As if Wingstop knowing your propensity of eating dry rub versus buffalo is worth anything at all beyond trying to sell you a product.
The more a company knows about you, the more money they can make out of you. For example, cab companies have been caught increasing prices for customers whose phone batteries were dying.
Unless you are a journalist, high-ranking civil servant or military officer, foreign governments aren’t usually a huge threat. You are most likely not worth their time, and (apart from maybe the US) it’s not like they can actually do anything to you.
I didn’t say that me as an individual was worth the time of a foreign government, because I’m not talking about one off events like someone wanting information on me specifically.
I’m talking about the attempt by foreign nationals to undermine our entire society by preying on social media and misinformation. The kind of shit thats been affecting people on Facebook for years now and thats being used to affect the Tiktok algorithm as well.
Fair point. But if a foreign government can use Facebook / TikTok data to undermine society, can’t big companies or other interest groups do the same? More importantly, can’t Facebook or TikTok do the same? At least governments have checks and balances, and are at least theoretically accountable to their people. Companies can do whatever they like.
Companies don’t need to follow laws? Last time I checked the reason they can “do whatever they want” is the same as the government’s. Because no one ever fucking holds their feet to a fire. In theory both entities are held to standards, in reality neither are.
Many do follow the law, but have the law written to their convenience. Why bother stealing data when you can get it for free from people who don’t know any better?
My Wingstop orders? Sure. Once again, WHO FUCKING CARES. I don’t use social media for anything but sharing memes. I don’t post, I have the absolute bare minimum required information, and my account usually isn’t even my real name.
Even if the US government went full on USSR tomorrow, the data they have on me isn’t the type to be useful to them because my traditional social media usage is so damn low. Tiktok wasn’t the only example, it’s just the one with the most obvious political implication for us right now.
If I had a reason to hide my data (like in your hypothetical) then I could do it at the drop of a hat by switching fully to Linux which I already use. I have emails with three different providers only one of which is Google, and I don’t federate anything critical.
You guys are just so concerned about the stupidest information that can’t even be used against you unless it’s for selling you a product.
Outside of the car (mines a 90’s model) none of that is even remotely avoidable even if you went totally FOSS. Your ISP still needs your info and you’ll still use some kind of bank or credit union.
So what kind of parrot are you? It’s not unusual to want to restrict who can snoop on you, even for trivial information. I’ve worked on embedded software - what gets logged and reported can get downright obnoxious.
I’m not sure if it’s getting better, but I’m seeing less of it these days. It could just be that I’m working for better companies though.
Because it can be used against you in one way or another. You never know were the data end up at. It could leak or the government force them to give the data and lower your score in any system.
That is the point, we dont know what system they will come up with in the future. Lets build a social score system that we use to tax you economical and take past data into account. Hint China.
My biggest question to this type of thing is, what data? Why is it you’re all so concerned about a tech company knowing how you use their services or what you’re spending your money on?
The only ones I’m worried about doing that are foreign owned companies that operate in realms where my personal data could be actively harmful. I don’t use TikTok because our only real military adversary is using it to assemble Petabytes worth of data on Western populations which they can turn into cyberware via reactionary propaganda.
Know what I don’t care about? Doordash knowing what I’m more likely to spend my money on. Microsoft trying to sell me an Office365 subscription.
“Outraged bystander” yeah, clearly. Most of you are just parrots who follow the FOSS crowd but don’t know enough to actually vet their information. You think they’re all these full stack programmers who have deep insights but most of them are just paranoid hobbyists who think any shred of data on their spending habits = the end of the free world. As if Wingstop knowing your propensity of eating dry rub versus buffalo is worth anything at all beyond trying to sell you a product.
The more a company knows about you, the more money they can make out of you. For example, cab companies have been caught increasing prices for customers whose phone batteries were dying.
Unless you are a journalist, high-ranking civil servant or military officer, foreign governments aren’t usually a huge threat. You are most likely not worth their time, and (apart from maybe the US) it’s not like they can actually do anything to you.
I didn’t say that me as an individual was worth the time of a foreign government, because I’m not talking about one off events like someone wanting information on me specifically.
I’m talking about the attempt by foreign nationals to undermine our entire society by preying on social media and misinformation. The kind of shit thats been affecting people on Facebook for years now and thats being used to affect the Tiktok algorithm as well.
Fair point. But if a foreign government can use Facebook / TikTok data to undermine society, can’t big companies or other interest groups do the same? More importantly, can’t Facebook or TikTok do the same? At least governments have checks and balances, and are at least theoretically accountable to their people. Companies can do whatever they like.
Companies don’t need to follow laws? Last time I checked the reason they can “do whatever they want” is the same as the government’s. Because no one ever fucking holds their feet to a fire. In theory both entities are held to standards, in reality neither are.
Many do follow the law, but have the law written to their convenience. Why bother stealing data when you can get it for free from people who don’t know any better?
Later on when the “good guys” have a change in leadership to someone who’s just a bit more ruthlessly profit-driven, they already have all your data.
My Wingstop orders? Sure. Once again, WHO FUCKING CARES. I don’t use social media for anything but sharing memes. I don’t post, I have the absolute bare minimum required information, and my account usually isn’t even my real name.
Even if the US government went full on USSR tomorrow, the data they have on me isn’t the type to be useful to them because my traditional social media usage is so damn low. Tiktok wasn’t the only example, it’s just the one with the most obvious political implication for us right now.
If I had a reason to hide my data (like in your hypothetical) then I could do it at the drop of a hat by switching fully to Linux which I already use. I have emails with three different providers only one of which is Google, and I don’t federate anything critical.
You guys are just so concerned about the stupidest information that can’t even be used against you unless it’s for selling you a product.
do you have a phone?
do you have a car that was manufactured after 2015?
does your ISP know your real name?
do you have a bank account?
I guarantee you there’s already more of your data out there than you’re comfortable with.
Outside of the car (mines a 90’s model) none of that is even remotely avoidable even if you went totally FOSS. Your ISP still needs your info and you’ll still use some kind of bank or credit union.
is exactly the point I was trying to make to the guy who was like “I just use Linux and put a fake name on my GrubHub orders”
A lot of it is definitely performative security theatre style sticking your head in the sand.
So what kind of parrot are you? It’s not unusual to want to restrict who can snoop on you, even for trivial information. I’ve worked on embedded software - what gets logged and reported can get downright obnoxious.
I’m not sure if it’s getting better, but I’m seeing less of it these days. It could just be that I’m working for better companies though.
Because it can be used against you in one way or another. You never know were the data end up at. It could leak or the government force them to give the data and lower your score in any system.
What score in what system?
That is the point, we dont know what system they will come up with in the future. Lets build a social score system that we use to tax you economical and take past data into account. Hint China.