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Why Getting Paid for Your Data Is a Bad Deal

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Re: Why Getting Paid for Your Data Is a Bad Deal

#61

Post by taneq »

gretch wrote: post #60
taneq wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you want a really evil example, consider a version of Android Auto which knows when you’re low on fuel and auctions your “nearby fuel stations” search result slots to the highest bidders, in exchange for which the bidders get notified that they can jack up their prices on you.

But in real life examples, the exact opposite has been playing out. Instead of you being sold to the richest, hungriest gas station, it's more like all of the gas stations racing to the lowest price to serve you, and consumers having no brand relationships with gas stations anymore. If Android auto was always serving up expensive gas, users would start using bing or apple maps - I certainly would if there was such a…

How many people would do so, though? How many non-technical people are capable of untangling themselves from Google’s services? How many non-technical people are even aware that “Google” isn’t the only search engine?

Re: Why Getting Paid for Your Data Is a Bad Deal

#62

Post by oarsinsync »

taneq wrote: post #61
gretch wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But in real life examples, the exact opposite has been playing out. Instead of you being sold to the richest, hungriest gas station, it's more like all of the gas stations racing to the lowest price to serve you, and consumers having no brand relationships with gas stations anymore. If Android auto was always serving up expensive gas, users would start using bing or apple maps - I certainly would if there was such a…

How many people would do so, though? How many non-technical people are capable of untangling themselves from Google’s services? How many non-technical people are even aware that “Google” isn’t the only search engine?

I learnt about Waze many years ago from non technical folks. Drivers have niche communities of their own too, where stuff like this gets disseminated.

“Waze is better than google maps for directions” for a long time was true. Then google bought it.

If Waze can rise up, so can another. Especially where it’ll save drivers some % on their fuel bills. Even more so in European countries with high fuel duties.

Re: Why Getting Paid for Your Data Is a Bad Deal

#63

Post by grawprog »

gretch wrote: post #60
taneq wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you want a really evil example, consider a version of Android Auto which knows when you’re low on fuel and auctions your “nearby fuel stations” search result slots to the highest bidders, in exchange for which the bidders get notified that they can jack up their prices on you.

But in real life examples, the exact opposite has been playing out. Instead of you being sold to the richest, hungriest gas station, it's more like all of the gas stations racing to the lowest price to serve you, and consumers having no brand relationships with gas stations anymore. If Android auto was always serving up expensive gas, users would start using bing or apple maps - I certainly would if there was such a…

That's not the situation in the town where i live. There's less tax here compared to the city, gas prices should be lower, instead, every gas station in town is priced higher and all keep the same high price.

Years ago, the grocery stores here did the same thing. It's taken 15 years for them to finally begin to actually compete with each other...well just prior to covid anyway...

Re: Why Getting Paid for Your Data Is a Bad Deal

#64

Post by grawprog »

imgabe wrote: post #52
grawprog wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sure, until that information is used to give individualized prices and other things. Or used to hide things or show you only things the algorithms decide you like....or should have according to them. Already i've read things about hotel websites and stuff altering prices based on which device you're using to browse their site. In a world where your personal shopping information is bought and sold and things become in…

Thank you for providing an actual, tangible downside to this. I've never really seen one before. So many articles like this end up with people coming up with scenarios like "But what if there's a dictator and he wants to round up everyone who bought a 12-pack of Charmin' last week?" It would be interesting to see the arms race that could arise, though. If individualized prices became enough of a thing, there would pr…

>there would probably be personal shoppers who would buy things for you at a lower price with their "poor person" data profile and pocket a percentage of the difference

See...there's always someone that can come up with an even more awful scenario.

I'd never even thought of such a thing...but that really doesn't sound too far fetched.

I guess it would create a new little economy, but i dunno, these things always remind me of something from black mirror.

And most of the depictions of the future in that show kinda horrified me.

Re: Why Getting Paid for Your Data Is a Bad Deal

#66

Post by renewiltord »

bradbot wrote: post #28
backtoyoujim wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How can that kind of inequality look like justice to anyone other than someone very economically privileged ?

Why the downvotes? The point is legitimate. Not everyone would be able to afford to pay for something like this.

And what, pray tell, do you expect a service provider to do when this happens? Privacy advocates screamed themselves shrill like this and what happened is that the NYT went paywall. Then they screamed themselves shrill that the poor don't have access to good news.

Well...what did you think would happen?

Re: Why Getting Paid for Your Data Is a Bad Deal

#67

Post by viraptor »

grawprog wrote: post #63
gretch wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But in real life examples, the exact opposite has been playing out. Instead of you being sold to the richest, hungriest gas station, it's more like all of the gas stations racing to the lowest price to serve you, and consumers having no brand relationships with gas stations anymore. If Android auto was always serving up expensive gas, users would start using bing or apple maps - I certainly would if there was such a…

That's not the situation in the town where i live. There's less tax here compared to the city, gas prices should be lower, instead, every gas station in town is priced higher and all keep the same high price. Years ago, the grocery stores here did the same thing. It's taken 15 years for them to finally begin to actually compete with each other...well just prior to covid anyway...

This is pretty standard due to transport + location costs, isn't it? Gas is close to cheapest in city suburbs.

Re: Why Getting Paid for Your Data Is a Bad Deal

#68

Post by vaccinator »

viraptor wrote: post #4

I was thinking about a related idea recently - how much is my grocery information privacy worth for me? Summed up, I'm currently saving just over 11% on all the groceries + ~7% on fuel cost by sharing that information with 5 companies. (car insurance, CC, shop card, honey, airline) I'm not attached to this, I'd rather the programs like this get destroyed. But also by stacking the offers, I believe I'm getting more va…

I'm pretty sure that your credit card company sells your transaction history to other companies and also shares it with the Government.

Re: Why Getting Paid for Your Data Is a Bad Deal

#69

Post by Xelbair »

oarsinsync wrote: post #62
taneq wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How many people would do so, though? How many non-technical people are capable of untangling themselves from Google’s services? How many non-technical people are even aware that “Google” isn’t the only search engine?

I learnt about Waze many years ago from non technical folks. Drivers have niche communities of their own too, where stuff like this gets disseminated. “Waze is better than google maps for directions” for a long time was true. Then google bought it. If Waze can rise up, so can another. Especially where it’ll save drivers some % on their fuel bills. Even more so in European countries with high fuel duties.

>[..]Then google bought it.[..]

And that will happen to every competitor on that market.

Re: Why Getting Paid for Your Data Is a Bad Deal

#70

Post by eloisant »

taneq wrote: post #59
imgabe wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thank you for providing an actual, tangible downside to this. I've never really seen one before. So many articles like this end up with people coming up with scenarios like "But what if there's a dictator and he wants to round up everyone who bought a 12-pack of Charmin' last week?" It would be interesting to see the arms race that could arise, though. If individualized prices became enough of a thing, there would pr…

If you want a really evil example, consider a version of Android Auto which knows when you’re low on fuel and auctions your “nearby fuel stations” search result slots to the highest bidders, in exchange for which the bidders get notified that they can jack up their prices on you.

This is already happening.

Uber is making you pay more when your phone is low on battery (because they know you don't have too much time to think about how you're getting back home).

Airline companies are showing you higher prices if they believe you can afford it, from the information they're getting about you (like your user agent).

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