U.S. govt, tech industry discuss using location data to combat coronavirus • Hacker News Board

Re: U.S. govt, tech industry discuss using location data to combat coronavirus

#181

Post by thinkmassive » Thu, Mar 19, 2020, 1:49 AM UTC

blocko wrote: post #169

thinkmassive wrote: post #128

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This could be possible if the data is stored encrypted in a public ledger (blockchain), which has time-locked script functions that permit another key to decrypt certain pieces of data for a limited duration. I think something like this is a primary goal of most decentralized identity projects, some of which have been underway for around a decade. Of course none of this stops the person with temporary access from mak…

I think the solution would be sending as little data as possible to answer the query, and choosing which/how many queries to respond to. Any large scale requests for data would have to be designed in a way that minimizes intrusiveness or risks being largely ignored. I don't think there's a great way to counter spoofing or sending garbage results without sacrificing user control, but the onus to de-noise should be on…

That's a good point. A common example is how a bar doesn't need to know your birthday, let alone your home address or driver license number, but right now it's common to hand over your entire id. All they need is a yes/no answer to "is this person 21+ today?"

Re: U.S. govt, tech industry discuss using location data to combat coronavirus

#182

Post by catalogia » Thu, Mar 19, 2020, 2:49 AM UTC

fatjokes wrote: post #180

catalogia wrote: post #173

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Some of the things you're saying seem contradictory (American politicians are rarely imprisoned for their crimes, therefore Americans should be more trusting of their government? That seems completely backward) so forgive me if I've misunderstood you completely. With that said... > "The conversation is dominated by the fear of gov't abuse. So few point to how successfully South Korea has leveraged their vast surveill…

I don't think you've misunderstood, and I certainly didn't mean to imply that South Korea is all "sunshine and roses". However, given that it seems that the American gov't hasn't earned its citizens trust after ~300 years, perhaps it's time to try something very different, or at least have an open mind to suggestions. Several countries now have demonstrated a range of options: China, SK, Taiwan, Singapore. Some are a…

I think a lot of people would like things to work differently, but trusting the American government, which has repeatedly proved itself unworthy of trust, doesn't seem like a good first step to effecting change.

Re: U.S. govt, tech industry discuss using location data to combat coronavirus

#183

Post by raxxorrax » Thu, Mar 19, 2020, 10:04 AM UTC

viraptor wrote: post #179

raxxorrax wrote: post #159

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The thing is that you can participate in modern society without Google needing to track you. It isn't even hard to imagine.

Without Google, yes. But I said: this applies to everything. Do you want medical records staying with your doctor? Do you want a driving license? Do you want a passport? Do you want to register the birth of your kids? It's where you draw the line of convenience -vs- privacy.

That is not equivalent to the tracking discussed here. I don't share any location data with Google or any service for that matter. I think most do not.

Re: U.S. govt, tech industry discuss using location data to combat coronavirus

#184

Post by r3ll » Fri, Mar 20, 2020, 11:39 AM UTC

ASalazarMX wrote: post #174

chadlavi wrote: post #140

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Seems like a good time not to have a phone made by a company whose profits mainly come from selling you data. oH BUt It'S NoT a waLLeD GArdEn!1 ffs.

I use iOS, but the iron grip Apple has on its walled garden puts advanced users at great disadvantage. You want a privacy-friendly browser like Firefox? No, you are only allowed to use a Firefox skin on good old Safari instead. You want local ad/tracker blocking? No way, you are allowed to use a VPN instead, and hope it doesn't sell your data too. You want to jailbreak and stroll outside the corral? Better hope iOS k…

Could you roll your own vpn to say your home where you have a a rpi set up as a pihole and your own adblocking dns like you could on android? (Common roll your own VPN's like Wireguard or OpenVPN)

Re: U.S. govt, tech industry discuss using location data to combat coronavirus

#185

Post by r3ll » Fri, Mar 20, 2020, 11:49 AM UTC

teh_infallible wrote: post #43

bscphil wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't know, maybe it is. Maybe the politics of our world simply are that cynical and won't allow for such a thing to exist. But I guess I'm hoping it isn't. I'm trying to imagine how a non-authoritarian institution would work; it wouldn't have the "authority" to compel anyone to turn over their data, but just about everyone would have enough trust in the community and its decision making process to be okay with it.…

Personally, I think the only way we will retake our privacy is when hobby level, readily available hardware, software, and 3d printable parts enable hobbyists to create “good enough” phones with encryption and privacy options that won’t exist in mass market phones. Then an enterprising startup can deliver marked-up, preassembled devices, then people might have privacy again.

Personally, I like the idea of a Fairphone with Lineage/MicroG.

I say like the idea of as opposed to use as currently Fairphone is out of my budget and I can't find a phone in my budget range that's supported by Lineage/MicroG so I just have somewhat reliable Edit: the bonus of phones in this price range is like Fairphones they almost always make it easy to quickly remove the battery so you're certain nothing's running.

Re: U.S. govt, tech industry discuss using location data to combat coronavirus

#186

Post by ASalazarMX » Fri, Mar 20, 2020, 7:18 PM UTC

r3ll wrote: post #184

ASalazarMX wrote: post #174

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I use iOS, but the iron grip Apple has on its walled garden puts advanced users at great disadvantage. You want a privacy-friendly browser like Firefox? No, you are only allowed to use a Firefox skin on good old Safari instead. You want local ad/tracker blocking? No way, you are allowed to use a VPN instead, and hope it doesn't sell your data too. You want to jailbreak and stroll outside the corral? Better hope iOS k…

Could you roll your own vpn to say your home where you have a a rpi set up as a pihole and your own adblocking dns like you could on android? (Common roll your own VPN's like Wireguard or OpenVPN)

That is exactly my point, these are not solutions, but workarounds we end up with. A sensible approach would be a local blocklist, which would save not only battery and bandwidth, but all the material resources needed for the workarounds.

I understand Apple will never implement this because ads and a captive audience are a crucial part of their business model; I just resent that Apple actively blocks people that want to implement this themselves.