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Show HN: Auto-identity-remove – Automated data broker opt-out runner for macOS

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Re: Show HN: Auto-identity-remove – Automated data broker opt-out runner for macOS

#141

Post by exiguus »

I like the idea. But I stopped reading when I saw that I have to pay for an API, because it looks like advertising for it in npm package form. Then I read HN, took a look at the code, GitHub, and found no website. Just an unknown author asking me to pass all my private data to a service to get it removed. Everything is unclear, even if the intention might be good. I must admit, I also have trust issues with services like Aura, NordProtect, or SurfShark. They sell you the same thing, plus more. Companies that collect all your information you don't want to see anywhere else. They might sell them or get breached.

I would love to see a do-one-thing-well, open-source alternative to them. But IMO this alternative must be super understandable and secure. Maybe npm and a (for me) unknown API is the wrong choice for that.

Re: Show HN: Auto-identity-remove – Automated data broker opt-out runner for macOS

#142

Post by bborud »

somewhatgoated wrote: post #139
loremium wrote: post #134

Earlier quoted context omitted.

768 legitimate interested sites liked that comment and stored cookies for the next 390d.

Your point being?

I suspect they mean that while a lot of sites put on a good show of pretending to give you a choice, they probably either ignore your wishes anyway or they make sure to ask you so often that occasionally you’ll forget and they’ll share your data with data brokers anyway.

The problem is currently being addressed at the low level. I think we have to go higher up the food chain and go after the data brokers.

Re: Show HN: Auto-identity-remove – Automated data broker opt-out runner for macOS

#143

Post by repelsteeltje »

gruez wrote: post #138
repelsteeltje wrote: post #137

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, but isn't there an unplugged hole in the account creation (or fresh install) if that gets you a new UUID with 0 monthly attestation count?

You buy a new phone, install the app, and get an uuid with 0 attestation count. Now what? If you try to use that uuid to farm attestations, it'll be easily linked to that uuid. If you try to uninstall/reinstall, the attestation count will count up, eventually making making the newly created uuids immediately suspicious. You might try to create one uuid per month and then try to farm those indefinitely, but they could…

I guess I just misunderstand what is being attested. Is the attestation proving that your randomly assigned UUID belongs to a human, or conversely, does a proof of work simply prove that your device "owns" some UUID?

Re: Show HN: Auto-identity-remove – Automated data broker opt-out runner for macOS

#145

Post by brookst »

heroh wrote: post #125
brookst wrote: post #98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

More info on how an iOS app can leak device ID? I thought Apple did away with access to device IDs and only provides a per-developer ID.

It’s in the Apple app store App Privacy disclosure [1] Location (“coarse location”), identifiers (“device id, user id”) ^ both are deemed a necessity for app functionality, with deviceID required for analytics too. [1] https://apps.apple.com/us/app/recaptcha/id6746882749

I don't see "device id" on that page, just "Identifiers"

I don't believe that iOS apps get a stable device ID. It may be that Google is generating one, and it can be shared across Google apps. But I'm pretty sure there is no global device ID that's common across all apps.

The original point stands that if you use recaptcha and you're signed in to a Google account on the device and you then use another Google app and you've done some form of identity verification with Google, then Google could link identity to recaptcha.

But I think the claim was over-broad about device ID.

Re: Show HN: Auto-identity-remove – Automated data broker opt-out runner for macOS

#146

Post by jorvi »

gruez wrote: post #103
jorvi wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Its only Google's ReCaptcha that sucks, with its eternal gaslighting. "Select stairs": okay, does that mean the railing too? And probably some percentage of people clicked rails, so now I have meta it and guess if that percentage is enough to throw off my guess. "Select motorbike": okay, but you're showing me a bicycle. I'll click "skip". FAIL. TRY AGAIN . Sighs.. okay, I guess the average person is so dim-witted the…

>with its eternal gaslighting. That's not gaslighting. >And probably some percentage of people clicked rails, so now I have meta it and guess if that percentage is enough to throw off my guess. No, there are multiple accepted answers.

> That's not gaslighting.

It is gaslighting me into thinking I gave the wrong answer.

> No, there are multiple accepted answers.

Nope, even for very simple things like "select all fire hydrants" (which are extremely obvious) or "select all images with cars" (with the images only being images completely devoid of cars or only cars, no lorries or busses), you still get a fail.

I assume you work on Captchas, which makes it extra cute you're trying to gaslight me about the built-in gaslighting :). It is really obvious too because it doesn't happen when not using a privacy browser and/or VPN.

At any rate, I hope you internalize that your work has made everyone's everyday life a little more miserable. A net negative to society.

Re: Show HN: Auto-identity-remove – Automated data broker opt-out runner for macOS

#147

Post by GJim »

jorvi wrote: post #146
gruez wrote: post #103

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>with its eternal gaslighting. That's not gaslighting. >And probably some percentage of people clicked rails, so now I have meta it and guess if that percentage is enough to throw off my guess. No, there are multiple accepted answers.

> That's not gaslighting. It is gaslighting me into thinking I gave the wrong answer. > No, there are multiple accepted answers. Nope, even for very simple things like "select all fire hydrants" (which are extremely obvious) or "select all images with cars" (with the images only being images completely devoid of cars or only cars, no lorries or busses), you still get a fail. I assume you work on Captchas, which makes…

> select all fire hydrants" (which are extremely obvious)

Speak for yourself!

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=fire+hydrant+uk&tbs=imgo:1...

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