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OkCupid's “Removed” Visitor API

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Re: OkCupid's “Removed” Visitor API

#2
I never get it why people who discover secrets like these make extra sure nobody else can ever enjoy them again. Just use the undocumented feature and don't make a big thing out of it.

This way it's ruined for everybody, and they get nothing in return, except for some HN points on their blog post.

Re: OkCupid's “Removed” Visitor API

#4
post #2

I never get it why people who discover secrets like these make extra sure nobody else can ever enjoy them again. Just use the undocumented feature and don't make a big thing out of it. This way it's ruined for everybody, and they get nothing in return, except for some HN points on their blog post.

Not sure if sarcasm or stalker enthusiast

Re: OkCupid's “Removed” Visitor API

#5
post #2

I never get it why people who discover secrets like these make extra sure nobody else can ever enjoy them again. Just use the undocumented feature and don't make a big thing out of it. This way it's ruined for everybody, and they get nothing in return, except for some HN points on their blog post.

Don't know if you're sarcastic, but I prefer privacy related issues like this to be surfaced and would call it morally wrong not doing so.

Re: OkCupid's “Removed” Visitor API

#7
>birthdate is a data point which is considered part of Personally Identifiable Information / Personal Data in many countries. I am far from being a lawyer, but OKCupid should be concerned with regulations like the GDPR approaching soon.

>This may not be as appalling as Grindr’s reporting of HIV status to third parties. It might not be as powerful and widespread as the data used in the Cambridge Analytica Debacle. But that’s not the point.

It indeed is not the point so I don’t know why you felt compelled to write two loosely related paragraphs about how cool you are because you follow the news.

Re: OkCupid's “Removed” Visitor API

#8
post #2

I never get it why people who discover secrets like these make extra sure nobody else can ever enjoy them again. Just use the undocumented feature and don't make a big thing out of it. This way it's ruined for everybody, and they get nothing in return, except for some HN points on their blog post.

This is not an unintended feature - it is a gaping privacy gap. That data is not intended to be public, and is in fact dangerous when made public. It's _especially_ creepy that this detailed data is available to someone who has unsuccessfully interacted with you on a dating website. All that aside from this likely being against the terms & conditions provided by OkCupid, meaning their user's data was being used against the contractual limits.

There was no real-world case where this data was useful in a non-creepy way.

Re: OkCupid's “Removed” Visitor API

#9
post #2

I never get it why people who discover secrets like these make extra sure nobody else can ever enjoy them again. Just use the undocumented feature and don't make a big thing out of it. This way it's ruined for everybody, and they get nothing in return, except for some HN points on their blog post.

> ...and they get nothing in return, except for some HN points on their blog post.

And, you know, some increased measure of privacy.

For some odd reason people seem to be concerned about all the private data they (willingly) give to these corporations leaking outside of the corporation proper as if it's a violation of their (misplaced) trust or something. Lots of that going around recently for...reasons.

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