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Rally, a novel privacy-first data sharing platform

blog.mozilla.org

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Re: Rally, a novel privacy-first data sharing platform

#131

Post by Nicksil »

elliekelly wrote: post #128
Nicksil wrote: post #122

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>but I decided against it because I worried about harassment from sleuthing HN readers finding me on other platforms. Such are the compromises you make as a lady on the internet sometimes. You make it easy for the internet assholes to do this to you. If your HN username is your real name that is a really big problem for your privacy. Your occupation is stated in your profile. Likewise, stating your sex might as well…

I've been interneting-while-woman for three decades now so of course my username isn't my real name. But (like most developers) my GitHub includes my real name, my photo, and my company, hence my hesitation. I have to wonder, though... are you as quick to chastise the "internet assholes" you see harassing women online as you were to chastise me for having the audacity to admit my gender online?

That wasn't chastising you. I don't know you so there was no way I could have known how long you've been on the internet nor your depth in experience in identity within it. I was attempting to point out some of the bigger factors feeding into your complaint, regarding the potential of people harassing you, with the intent of no more than to bring attention to something you may have overlooked, as humans tend to do sometimes.

You're being combative for no reason so I'll leave it here but, in the future, don't always assume malice.

Re: Rally, a novel privacy-first data sharing platform

#132

Post by bjt2n3904 »

errantmind wrote: post #129
xpe wrote: post #93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Whenever someone says they want to study anything relating to "misinformation", it's almost a guarantee they're looking to solve human problems with technical solutions. What in your experience motivates you to say this?

Not the OP but I think it is because of a lack of trust in institutions, due to an escalating culture war and tribalism. As an educated person interested in facts and science, there is a surprising lack of due diligence in the media around a lot of the current hot topic issues (not going to name them). Every time I do my own research on one of these issues, it is obvious the media and our institutions are more intere…

> lack of trust in institutions, due to an escalating culture war and tribalism

Precisely. Whenever someone talks about "disinformation" as being the cause of this, it would be insulting, if it weren't so detached from reality and Orwellian.

"Gosh, these dumb people are reverting to tribal behavior because they're getting lied to! The real problem is they can't think for themselves -- we just need to figure out how to tweak the algorithm so the disinformation doesn't spread, and they get fed the right truths. Then we'll have harmony again!"

People need to get off their computers, and stop trying to understand (and fix) society through Twitter.

Re: Rally, a novel privacy-first data sharing platform

#133

Post by alphabet9000 »

hndirect wrote: post #65

Sorry if this is too off topic, but is there a name for the art style they are using in the illustrations? It seems to be all over corporate sites these days.

used to be a nice twitter blog documenting the style, but it got suspended at some point: https://web.archive.org/web/20190426022335if_/https://twitte...

Re: Rally, a novel privacy-first data sharing platform

#134

Post by lawl »

9wzYQbTYsAIc wrote: post #74
yyyk wrote: post #38

This is exactly the data a modern Cambridge Analytica would want (e.g. shares, time spent on each post, all correlated to demographics). I hope this platform has controls to ensure that study data isn't misused post-study for non-study purposes, because the FAQ answer isn't so encouraging[0]. [0] https://rally.mozilla.org/how-rally-works/faqs/#what-happens... "With Mozilla’s permission, researchers may retain aggrega…

> Shouldn't you ask the users for permission on using their aggregate data for purposes that could be different to the study they enrolled to? They do, given that you’d have been informed of that before you provided your consent by opting in to Rally data crowdsourcing. > This is exactly the data a modern Cambridge Analytica would want Kind of nice that it’d be in the hands of Mozilla, Princeton University, other tru…

> Kind of nice that it’d be in the hands of Mozilla, Princeton University, other trusted research partners, and the open web, isn’t it?

No? It'd be much better to not collect that data at all.

Re: Rally, a novel privacy-first data sharing platform

#135

Post by errantmind »

9wzYQbTYsAIc wrote: post #26
ttt0 wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It doesn't mean anything. You have zero guarantees that anything like that will be actually applied. The government and its military won't ever care about it. This is just some research while we have surveillance technology and weapons controlled by the AI right now . Get real.

That’s rather nihilistic. How exactly are academic researchers supposed to guarantee that their research will be applied for the good of humanity? Government is you and me and everyone else. If you want government to care about it, write to them and tell them to care about it. They probably aren’t going to care about random comments on HN. Research on ethical machines has been taking place since the dawn of the drone…

Not the OP, but no, the government doesn't and can't represent me. We are systematically locked into a two party system due to winner-takes-all voting in the USA and you seem to think that two (very similar) parties are enough for me to have representation. They aren't.

It also isn't nihilistic to have a very high bar for sharing any data these days. I personally am beyond considering sharing my data and go to great lengths to keep my important data safe. I don't trust anyone with it.

Re: Rally, a novel privacy-first data sharing platform

#136

Post by lawl »

9wzYQbTYsAIc wrote: post #60
miked85 wrote: post #52

I am failing to see the motivation for anyone to use this. If you cared about privacy, you wouldn't share your data in the first place. If you didn't care about privacy, there is still no reason to opt in.

> The motivation is enabling crowdsourced scientific research that benefits society. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27630188

> crowdsourced scientific research that benefits society.

how, in your words, would the covid19 news misinformation study benefit society?

Re: Rally, a novel privacy-first data sharing platform

#137

Post by lawl »

Nicksil wrote: post #50
luke2m wrote: post #36

Disclaimer: will be killed in a few months

>Disclaimer: will be killed in a few months You're thinking of Google. This is Mozilla.

> You're thinking of Google. This is Mozilla.

Well, it is really difficult to tell them apart these days. Mozilla does like to copy everything google does, if you look at firefox.

Re: Rally, a novel privacy-first data sharing platform

#138

Post by errantmind »

9wzYQbTYsAIc wrote: post #63
zenlf wrote: post #29

I understand there is a perfectly legitimate need and reason to do what they do. However “privacy-first data sharing” sounds like doublespeak to me. In the same vein as the famous “war is peace, freedom is slavery.”

> sounds like double speak That’s rather cynical. What’s wrong with someone wanting to share their data with certain people while also demanding that those people respect the data’s privacy?

You keep accusing people of being nihilistic / cynical in this thread. It isn't cynical to be extremely skeptical of any company's ability to keep your data private and safe given the constant barrage of breeches and ethical violations.

Maybe I'm in the minority but Mozilla's brand had been permanently tarnished in recent years and I do not think of them as a 'privacy first' organization

Re: Rally, a novel privacy-first data sharing platform

#139

Post by Nicksil »

lawl wrote: post #137
Nicksil wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Disclaimer: will be killed in a few months You're thinking of Google. This is Mozilla.

> You're thinking of Google. This is Mozilla. Well, it is really difficult to tell them apart these days. Mozilla does like to copy everything google does, if you look at firefox.

>Well, it is really difficult to tell them apart these days. Mozilla does like to copy everything google does, if you look at firefox.

Indeed similarities exist. Still, no where close.

Re: Rally, a novel privacy-first data sharing platform

#140

Post by errantmind »

9wzYQbTYsAIc wrote: post #67
JumpCrisscross wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Mozilla strikes me as an organisation with too many resources for its own good. They keep pursuing these random side gigs with limited unifying theme other than an excuse to spend money.

Additional reminder that Mozilla just recently had to go through a round of layoffs. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24120336

The fact they have significantly more than 250 employees in the first place is a bit mind boggling. As far as I can tell most of the spending is unrelated to Firefox. What do all of these people do and why are they needed?
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