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New study: Google manipulates users into constant tracking

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Re: New study: Google manipulates users into constant tracking

#361

Post by colordrops »

kache_ wrote: post #6

They constantly berate you to deactivate no tracking preferences on google maps. When you're aware of this fact you start seeing it everywhere, not just on google. For example, on Pinterest they will berate you to sign up using highlighted buttons on land, and the x button is out of the way on the top right corner. This end result is due to product managers/devs looking at conversion rates and optimizing for whatever…

> There may be no intention of manipulation

If random airmchair commentators can see the results as manipulative I guarantee that the program managers and devs can see it too.

Re: New study: Google manipulates users into constant tracking

#362

Post by cpuguy83 »

colordrops wrote: post #361
kache_ wrote: post #6

They constantly berate you to deactivate no tracking preferences on google maps. When you're aware of this fact you start seeing it everywhere, not just on google. For example, on Pinterest they will berate you to sign up using highlighted buttons on land, and the x button is out of the way on the top right corner. This end result is due to product managers/devs looking at conversion rates and optimizing for whatever…

> There may be no intention of manipulation If random airmchair commentators can see the results as manipulative I guarantee that the program managers and devs can see it too.

They don't see it as manipulative, which is the problem. They see it as "this is our product, we need a way to understand usage".

Re: New study: Google manipulates users into constant tracking

#363

Post by marnett »

nroets wrote: post #355
Loughla wrote: post #307

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As much as Amazon seems to be throwing their mud in consumers' collective faces, the Waltons are 100% not better people and Wal-Mart's entire success is based on exploiting low-wage workers and subsidizing your workforce through social programs. That's like trading arsenic for cyanide.

Last year I spent 5 months cycling through the US. Walmart was the one place I could consistently find healthy food such as fruit at low prices. Many other retailers have specials prices on fruit that only apply to loyalty cards holders. Obviously they track their customers.

I'm fascinated that you cycled through the U.S. Did you happen to write anything about your travels that you're willing to share? I'd love to hear your experiences seeing America.

Re: New study: Google manipulates users into constant tracking

#364

Post by verytrivial »

sborra wrote: post #19

Google Maps works just fine with the GPS from my phone's sensors, but _every single time_ I bring up the app, it asks me to enable device location and Google Location Services. I stubbornly (and maybe foolishly) keep opting out of every Google tracking option, it's crazy how annoying they are if you do this.

I do exactly the same thing. I've raised support requests, given feedback, starred support items for years about this knowing full well that it is a by-design choice. Other map apps seem to cope without it and manage to record your preference.

It's like trying to brush off an unwanted advance -- it gets creepy after a while.

Re: New study: Google manipulates users into constant tracking

#365

Post by ocdtrekkie »

contravariant wrote: post #356
kache_ wrote: post #6

They constantly berate you to deactivate no tracking preferences on google maps. When you're aware of this fact you start seeing it everywhere, not just on google. For example, on Pinterest they will berate you to sign up using highlighted buttons on land, and the x button is out of the way on the top right corner. This end result is due to product managers/devs looking at conversion rates and optimizing for whatever…

At this point I'm convinced they're deliberately making their captcha's impossible, to annoy me for taking anti-tracking measures.

When I have the time (or have failed ten bloody CAPTCHA's in a row), I sometimes shoot out emails to whatever website or service I am trying to use, to advocate for the removal of reCAPTCHA. Unfortunately, as long as only a few people are complaining though, a lot of websites will continue to paste in Google code blocks willy-nilly.

Re: New study: Google manipulates users into constant tracking

#366

Post by WD-42 »

dzader wrote: post #290
maxxxxx wrote: post #206

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't feel entitled and I rarely use them but it's still sleazy behavior. There are a lot of people who don't understand what consequences using Google or Facebook has to their privacy and these companies happily prey on them.

What are the consequences? I guess I don't understand them either

Snowden put it pretty eloquently: Saying you don't care about privacy because you have nothing to hide is like saying you don't care about free speech because you have nothing to say. I think people understand at some level that there is something wrong with companies collecting enormous amounts of data on them even if the immediate consequences are hard to describe.

Re: New study: Google manipulates users into constant tracking

#367

Post by librish »

StavrosK wrote: post #289
rifung wrote: post #255

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I think you have causation wrong here. Users leave search history enabled because Google makes it unnecessarily hard to use the app with it disabled. That's a fair point. Nevertheless, most people on the team were not there when this feature was first introduced and we can only work from where we are now. To undo the status quo is something few are in a position to do. > So what you're saying is "there's no incenti…

It does, indeed, sound like we are in agreement. I'm not saying everyone in Google is evil and wants the worst for the user, but that Google doesn't really care about the user and that shows. I guess everyone in the company is complicit to that, with a share of responsibility proportional to the amount of power they have, as with any organization...

I think it's more accurate to say Google doesn't care very much about privacy concerned users since they represent a very small portion of the user base.

Re: New study: Google manipulates users into constant tracking

#368

Post by amelius »

matzf wrote: post #242
ncr100 wrote: post #234

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Computer Science does not have the same heightened degree of Ethical Concern that exists in other sciences. E.g. genetic manipulation of human embryos is highly scrutinized, and action is taken when behavior that would corrupt future generations of humans is identified. Not so with CS. CS Ethics is muted, often conflated with Corporate Ethics whose "Greed is good" line seems to have won out above other ethical mantra…

This is about corporate ethics. Just because these corporations happen to make use of computers doesn't make this a computer science issue.

Yet, computer scientists implement these systems, while being fully aware of the consequences.

If hospitals order doctors to do $BAD_THING, they protest. If an advertisement company orders computer scientists to implement $BAD_SYSTEM, they just comply.

Re: New study: Google manipulates users into constant tracking

#369

Post by int_19h »

TeMPOraL wrote: post #319
int_19h wrote: post #314

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The companies will always think about their bottom line. They will think of the needs of the customer to the extent that actually affects said bottom line. But customers demonstrated, through their behavior in the marketplace, that they also prefer the service model - or at least they don't care enough to preserve the old model. And so, here we are.

Software tends to spread from person to person, and any given piece of software in context is usually non-substitutable - therefore I believe consumers weren't really given an option to voice their opinion on product vs. service. Companies started to migrate to service model, and customers had to follow suit, because they didn't have any choice.

Customers had a choice in many cases. For example, Office is still offered as both a boxed product, and as a subscription service. Every time I see a discussion on one versus the other online, most people prefer the service, because it's cheaper (even long term).
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