All the anti-constitutionalist people at the NSA are getting heartburn as we speak.
Our Approach to Privacy
131–140 of 183 posts
Re: Our Approach to Privacy
#132A few things have struck me really strong on Apple's stand and implementation on protecting users' privacy: 1. Though it's understandable that Apple earns money primarily by selling hardware, it's sort of amusing and alarming at the same time that a proprietary almost-closed-source software company is focusing on protecting and preserving privacy whereas partially open source platforms competing with Apple seem to be…
For point 1, I'd like to note that Copperhead provides Pixel devices that come with a privacy and security focused OS.
Re: Our Approach to Privacy
#133Apple sells hardware differentiated by integrated software for premium pricing. They want to build better and more expensive products through superior design and quality control. Collecting and analyzing personal data isn't the most important thing for their business. They might see more benefit by eschewing personal data collection and marketing a privacy-focused message, which they seem to be doing. In contrast, Go…
There's only one way to fight back.
First: Move out of Google and Facebook. In particular email. It's a good idea as they can lock you out for nothing without explanations. They've been doing this a lot recently. You are not famous so a twitter mob won't help you.
Second: Since most pages out there have trackers from these companies, install Ad Nauseam extension to not just block tracking but click on everything in the background. This will ruin the information they gather about you with noise.
Re: Our Approach to Privacy
#134After reading this, I have two questions: 1. Are there any statistics showing the ratio of security issues between Android and iOS? 2. What's the most common phone among security researchers? To be honest, I'm wary of believing this, but I own a Nexus and if I had to give the benefit of the doubt to either Google or Apple, it would most certainly be Apple because they don't make business out of my data (or, not as mu…
I'm an Android user, but I feel the same way. I sometimes wonder what would happen if I were to create a new Google identity and start fresh. Would they try to re-establish my old email's profile and data to the new one without my consent?
I tried this as an exercise when they were pushing Google+. Created a new account, was very cognizant to read through all settings and ensured that nothing from my old account can be traced back to this new one. I'm not joking when I say nothing from my old account and tracking:
1. I timed my move (to different city inside bayarea)
2. Changing ISP to wave from comcast
3. Bought new computer
4. Closed my old phone account and only started using work phone. Never used hotspot in my work phone
5. Even changed my coffee drinking habit + free wifi access locations from Starbucks to Peets.
Only thing I couldn't change was my name + SSN. Serious paranoid level of things for my online life, but they still populated my digital life with same info and recommendations. After about 10-15 days of doing all this, I enabled Google+ (because at that time to use youtube account, I had to enable it). You know who the first contact recommendation that was there for me under my family - my brother who is living in a different country. I just gave up at that point.
Probably I did something wrong during the setup (or) slipped and used the accounts for some period of time on same computer or browser (or) the data companies which sell my offline data have really rich data about me. Whatever the goof-up was, it was just disheartening to learn that after all that work my online privacy just lasted at the max 15days. I really wish there were better ways. Considering the number of security/data breaches (e.g. recent equifax one) I feel like, I have little to no control on things.
Re: Our Approach to Privacy
#135I'm happy Apple is at least trying hard to deal with privacy but honestly I don't think they are doing enough, at least for me. For example, I don't really want to give most apps constant access to my photos, my camera, or my mic but I really don't have a whole lot of choice if I still want to use popular apps and services like Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, Hangouts, Line, WhatsApp etc.. I really wish that every ti…
No offense, but I guarantee nobody wants to spy on you. Mark is definitely not sitting around thinking "ayyyyy what's Gregg up to?"
True but incomplete. FB and similar make money on bulk collection. They do care but mostly in the aggregate. More data is directly related to more ad revenue.
Re: Our Approach to Privacy
#136I don't trust Apple. It's a matter of trust, so I have nothing else to say, just I can't trust Apple.
Re: Our Approach to Privacy
#137Apple sells hardware differentiated by integrated software for premium pricing. They want to build better and more expensive products through superior design and quality control. Collecting and analyzing personal data isn't the most important thing for their business. They might see more benefit by eschewing personal data collection and marketing a privacy-focused message, which they seem to be doing. In contrast, Go…
I do like Apple's approach to privacy. A lot. And I love their phones. While their PC hardware is still pretty, it's getting more-and-more outdated and overpriced. But that's no longer their focus, so hey.
And indeed, Apple seems to handle privacy well, in practice. I've managed to create pseudonymous accounts at Apple's online store, and fund them with anonymized Bitcoin. And I've managed to make digital purchases.
However, I haven't tested buying physical devices, for pickup in meatspace. I wonder if they'd require official ID, or just proof of purchase. Anyone know?
Re: Our Approach to Privacy
#138Earlier quoted context omitted.
I agree with this reasoning (although I'm not particularly privacy minded, and prefer Android and most Google products to iOS and iCloud). The older tech companies like Apple and Microsoft have built business models with a different set of incentives around user data. Google, and particularly Facebook's, business models entirely rely on monetising user data. My personal 'ranking' of a companies incentives to respect…
I'm curious why you would say that Microsoft has the most respect for privacy given Windows 10 telemetry. Is there a MacOS or iOS equivalent?
I wasn't ranking the company's practices so much as their incentives, based on their business model.
Microsoft derives most of its revenue from enterprise software, the others from consumers. Enterprises are generally more concerned with privacy of their data than consumers.
Arguably Apple have shown better practices of late. My ranking is more what one would expect 'in theory'.
Re: Our Approach to Privacy
#139Apple sells hardware differentiated by integrated software for premium pricing. They want to build better and more expensive products through superior design and quality control. Collecting and analyzing personal data isn't the most important thing for their business. They might see more benefit by eschewing personal data collection and marketing a privacy-focused message, which they seem to be doing. In contrast, Go…
I do like Apple's approach to privacy. A lot. And I love their phones. While their PC hardware is still pretty, it's getting more-and-more outdated and overpriced. But that's no longer their focus, so hey. And indeed, Apple seems to handle privacy well, in practice. I've managed to create pseudonymous accounts at Apple's online store, and fund them with anonymized Bitcoin. And I've managed to make digital purchases.…
The last time I went to pick up a product (AirPods) it required government issued photo ID (Australian driver's license), even though I had the Apple Store app which made the purchase installed on my phone.
Re: Our Approach to Privacy
#140Apple sells hardware differentiated by integrated software for premium pricing. They want to build better and more expensive products through superior design and quality control. Collecting and analyzing personal data isn't the most important thing for their business. They might see more benefit by eschewing personal data collection and marketing a privacy-focused message, which they seem to be doing. In contrast, Go…
I do like Apple's approach to privacy. A lot. And I love their phones. While their PC hardware is still pretty, it's getting more-and-more outdated and overpriced. But that's no longer their focus, so hey. And indeed, Apple seems to handle privacy well, in practice. I've managed to create pseudonymous accounts at Apple's online store, and fund them with anonymized Bitcoin. And I've managed to make digital purchases.…
Hardware-wise, they are top! Privacy-wise, they've done plenty, but there is significant improvemens to be made!
I appreciate the alert when an app tries to grab my contacts/calendar/location.
On the other hand I DO NOT appreciate, when an app (e.g. British Airways) always informs Facebook, Google Analytics, tens of other trackers, that I am using the app, and I am left in the no-mercy of those folks, and Apple is not helping me to protect my privacy.
This is why an iPhone is only good when it's jailbroken (replace hosts file, install ProtectMyPrivacy, install Firewall IP -yes it works on 10.2-)