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MoviePass CEO says the app tracks your location before and after movies

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Re: MoviePass CEO says the app tracks your location before and after movies

#141

Post by Gaelan »

brlewis wrote: post #49
comboy wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I prefer non-legislative way. Mobile OSes are already doing something towards this. Notification warning like "app X is using your GPS" - even though it's closed or even though your screen is off. Or only allowing GPS usage while the app is on your screen. I don't think many people care though. And even if you disagree on that, I think it should be their right to sell their privacy for convenience if they want to.

Mobile OSes and web APIs should have distinct permissions for foreground location data and background location data. I'll gladly give my current location in exchange for temporary convenience, but the way it works now I have to give my location away from now until such time as I uninstall the app or jump through the hoops necessary to revoke permission.

iOS does.

Re: MoviePass CEO says the app tracks your location before and after movies

#142

Post by gruez »

alexandercrohde wrote: post #27
lghh wrote: post #15

I'm really over trying to fight companies on this on an app-by-app basis. If we want this to stop, it has to be through legislation. Either we allow companies to do it and stop acting shocked when it happens, or we legislate the possibility away.

Probably the likeliest solution is at the software level. There's no reason there couldn't be software to send fake locations to apps that you don't make an explicit exception for.

already exists for android: https://github.com/M66B/XPrivacyLua

Re: MoviePass CEO says the app tracks your location before and after movies

#143

Post by oxymoran »

EggsOnToast wrote: post #107
throwaway2048 wrote: post #97

Earlier quoted context omitted.

https://i.imgur.com/uPnlHlq.png Ok, its 11 pages, which according to http://niram.org/read/ should take 32 minutes to read, can be updated at any time, and contains such language as You agree to indemnify and hold MoviePass, its officers, directors, shareholders, predecessors, successors in interest, employees, agents, subsidiaries and affiliates, harmless from any demands, loss, liability, claims or expenses (includ…

The only two words that are beyond what's taught in highschool in those quoted passages are "indemnify" and "pursuant" neither of which is actually too complex to understand from a cursory google search. The sentence structure is straightforward and it's grammatically clear that the parties listed are all part of the clause pertaining to who you agree to indemnify. The bulk of your argument is that it's unfair to exp…

While I legitimately enjoyed your pedantry, we both know that the point they were failing to make was that language seems overly broad in scope. Reading that first block, one could make a case that Moviepass could hold it’s users responsible for any and all claims made against it. Like if an upset movies studio sued them? Unlikely but plausible. I would expect this sort of language in an insurance policy, not a glorified coupon book.

Re: MoviePass CEO says the app tracks your location before and after movies

#145

Post by kbenson »

sharkweek wrote: post #121
sixothree wrote: post #106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I received a MoviePass as a Christmas give. I've learned a few things. 1. I hadn't been to my local theaters in a long time. 2. I was surprised just how convenient it had become now that nobody else is visiting. 3. I am thoroughly enjoying this movie subscription service model combined with the lack of crowds at theaters.

I think I saw maybe 2-3 movies in theaters in 2016, maybe 2-3 up through October of 2017. I got MoviePass when they had that special deal at Costco, and have gone to ~15 movies (try to go once a week) since.

If I had more free time, I would get it in a heartbeat (and install/uninstall as needed to keep my privacy). My first job was at a movie theater, and I saw 5-7 movies a month from age 16 through 21. I miss seeing movies in theaters, but with kids and work, it's hard to find the time, and when I do it's about $75 to get the family in. That's not cheap.

Re: MoviePass CEO says the app tracks your location before and after movies

#146

Post by wvenable »

castlecrasher2 wrote: post #30
mcescalante wrote: post #8

From my understanding, the bet that MoviePass is making is that they will be able to sell user/usage data to studios (or others) to make back the money that they're losing paying full price on the tickets; they've even admitted this in other interviews... just without specifying what data. Even if it's not location data, I would imagine that any/all data they can associate with a user they will.

Off the top of my head I'd say they're looking to see what other things people do after movies, like go out to eat, shopping, or go home.

What's the value of that information?

Re: MoviePass CEO says the app tracks your location before and after movies

#147

Post by wvenable »

product50 wrote: post #5
mon22 wrote: post #3

Without setting location access to "always", this shouldn't be possible, right? He might only be talking about the customers who have it enabled. So yeah, will wait for the clarification.

On Android, that is not a setting you get.

On Samsung devices you can put an app to sleep -- it gets no cycles when it's not running and can't even send you notifications. It's great for these kind of apps that you want to use but otherwise don't want running in the background.

Re: MoviePass CEO says the app tracks your location before and after movies

#148

Post by hueving »

Jasper_ wrote: post #74
JumpCrisscross wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> How is this kind of "growth hack" not simply dumping[1]? "Dumping" is bad because it harms unsubsidized competitors. (It also pits foreign governments against private companies.) I fail to see who MoviePass hurt except its own investors. > Can healthy, truly profitable technology companies develop in an environment where they have to compete with startups that are ready and willing to undercut them by losing tons o…

> I fail to see who MoviePass hurt except its own investors. Games on the iOS App Store are generally free (or 99 cents). It is not profitable to recoup your costs by selling the product, because consumers will not pay for an app that costs more money than $1. In order to sustain this environment, the industry has moved to selling data, ads, and other sort of nonsense. Let's suggest that MoviePass successfully "disru…

The consumers that bought expensive games aren't the same ones that expect to pay 0.99$ for a game so the comparison doesn't really apply. In particular, people still pay $50 for a game.

Re: MoviePass CEO says the app tracks your location before and after movies

#149

Post by gowld »

AlexandrB wrote: post #68
asdsa5325 wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Which isn't profitable. If you want MoviePass to exist, they need another source of revenue...

This can be used to excuse the worst kind of behaviour. Maybe if MoviePass can't operate profitably without violating people's privacy, it's just not a good startup idea.

But since a million people are happy to sell their location data for movie tickets, it is a good startup idea. To say otherwise an excuse to restrict other users' freedom, a pretty bad behavior.

Re: MoviePass CEO says the app tracks your location before and after movies

#150

Post by gowld »

ngngngng wrote: post #66
asdsa5325 wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Which isn't profitable. If you want MoviePass to exist, they need another source of revenue...

That's the struggle. Virtually unlimited movie tickets each month for the price of one movie ticket a month sounds too good to be true because it is. There's no way for this to work without some other source of revenue. If you would like the option to pay more and NOT be tracked, we just call that buying movie tickets and you've been able to do it all along.

It's still too good to be true. Why aren't there dozens of apps offering me $100/yr flat-out for my location data?

MoviePass is a play to intermediate the movie-shopping experience, so they can extort kickbacks from theaters.

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