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When tracking your period lets companies track you

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Re: When tracking your period lets companies track you

#61

Post by cdubzzz »

64bittechie wrote: post #17
MandieD wrote: post #15

Validates my decision to self-host and donate to Baby Buddy: https://github.com/babybuddy/babybuddy I figured all those “free” (and possibly even the paid) baby apps were likely doing all sorts of shady things with that data. One thing for me to use a period/fertility tracker for myself - quite another to throw my child’s data up to god knows who for god knows what ends long before he could possibly consent. If you d…

Maybe there is a market for paid apps and services that do not sell your data?

See my comment in another thread[0]. It doesn’t necessarily add much but my gut says probably not. Or if there is I would bet it’s just as or more niche than parents who would self-host their own app. But maybe I’m understanding the extent to which becoming a parent makes people think more about privacy as a priority?

Definitely curious to know if anyone has done any real research on this generally — that is, whether there is a real market for the “privacy focused” version of any product that would have other cheaper, less privacy focused options.

[0] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29993024

Re: When tracking your period lets companies track you

#62

Post by jo_in_europe »

bregma wrote: post #48
MandieD wrote: post #15

Validates my decision to self-host and donate to Baby Buddy: https://github.com/babybuddy/babybuddy I figured all those “free” (and possibly even the paid) baby apps were likely doing all sorts of shady things with that data. One thing for me to use a period/fertility tracker for myself - quite another to throw my child’s data up to god knows who for god knows what ends long before he could possibly consent. If you d…

We raised three children without tracking data on their metabolic processes. We nursed them when they were hungry, changed them when they were moist or stinky, and comforted them when they were upset. The only thing we really measured is how little sleep we got. They have all grown into fine adults. I have observed that one of the biggest causes of bad relationships between parents and their children -- and subsequen…

amen

Re: When tracking your period lets companies track you

#63

Post by missedthecue »

anthropodie wrote: post #54
bregma wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We raised three children without tracking data on their metabolic processes. We nursed them when they were hungry, changed them when they were moist or stinky, and comforted them when they were upset. The only thing we really measured is how little sleep we got. They have all grown into fine adults. I have observed that one of the biggest causes of bad relationships between parents and their children -- and subsequen…

I gave up WhatsApp 2-3 years back thinking if people before 2000 could live without it I certainly can live without it. I am thinking of applying that principle to many things of my digital life.

"I make my life more difficult because people in the past had difficult lives"?

How far do you apply this model? Passenger airbags in your automobile too?

Re: When tracking your period lets companies track you

#64

Post by tyingq »

Syonyk wrote: post #2

Is there a transcript? Not a fan of audio or video forms of information, far easier to read. However, no surprise. Literally every app anymore ought to be considered from the perspective of, "What can this app possibly get from my phone, by technical standards, regardless of what I think of that?" It's got accelerometer data and gyro data? It's doing something nasty with it. It's got location data? Oh, baby, hope it'…

Direct link to the transcript: https://www.npr.org/transcripts/1068930998?_pjax=main

Re: When tracking your period lets companies track you

#65

Post by Al-Khwarizmi »

technothrasher wrote: post #50
bregma wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We raised three children without tracking data on their metabolic processes. We nursed them when they were hungry, changed them when they were moist or stinky, and comforted them when they were upset. The only thing we really measured is how little sleep we got. They have all grown into fine adults. I have observed that one of the biggest causes of bad relationships between parents and their children -- and subsequen…

Bah! Back when I was a young parent, we had to track our baby's processes on stone tablets, that were on top of mountain, scratched with our bare fingers, and still our boy grew up into a fine knob thatcher. > do you need what the app gives you to fulfill your responsibilities, or do you just want it to satisfy your urges? There's a third option, which is that while not strictly necessary, certain tools can help make…

I agree that "we used to do just fine" isn't a sufficient argument by itself. There are many things that we didn't have when we were kids and even if we turned out fine, they are clearly beneficial (say, meningitis vaccines).

But honestly, is there really much value in knowing e.g. exactly how much and how frequently our babies feed? I mean, if you've had a baby you will know that feeding is purely instinctive, they are wired for it, and if they're hungry they are very well equipped to let you know by crying at a volume that would put Motörhead at shame. Nature (through the baby) gives us plenty of messaging about how and when he needs food, it's just a matter of interpreting it. And all babies are different, so are you sure that some table or general guidelines will give you better information than the babies themselves will provide? And are you sure it's worth spending your scarce energy and thoughts, as a sleep-starved parent, on doing that kind of tracking?

Anyway, as I mentioned in a different post above, I don't judge anyone on these issues. Different things might work for different people. If these apps work for many parents and help them implement the kind of parenting they see fit, more power to them. For me they're a distraction from actually communicating and getting to know my son, but to each their own!

Re: When tracking your period lets companies track you

#66

Post by stefan_ »

hhmc wrote: post #60
bregma wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> certain tools can help make a job easier Sure. If you insist on doing the unnecessary, possibly harmful job there are plenty of consumer grifts you can join that are waiting to relieve you of your money or exploit you for profit in some other way, like tracking and reselling your personal information. There is, after all, a sucker born every minute. Some of them have recently become parents. But that's not a third…

This feels like really bad faith argumentation. You haven't engaged with the point being made -- that the tools _might_ actually make the job easier. You're just reiterating your view that "I didn't need these tools, so they are at best worthless and and at worst exploitative"

There is the little matter of tens of thousands of years of human evolution where illiterate parents wrote down none of that and were providing to many more babies than just the one. This is extra ironic because there was no point being made besides "you’ve obviously not been the primary caretaker of an infant recently".

Re: When tracking your period lets companies track you

#67

Post by gpmcadam »

"NPR’s sites use cookies, similar tracking and storage technologies, and information about the device you use to access our sites (together, “cookies”) to enhance your viewing, listening and user experience, personalize content, personalize messages from NPR’s sponsors, provide social media features, and analyze NPR’s traffic. This information is shared with social media, sponsorship, analytics, and other vendors or service providers"

By the way, there is no 'reject' option for npr.org, just 'Agree and Continue'.

I'm not sure whether there's a difference between this and what they're reporting on, but I wasn't willing to accept to find out.

Re: When tracking your period lets companies track you

#69

Post by vegetablepotpie »

gpmcadam wrote: post #67

"NPR’s sites use cookies, similar tracking and storage technologies, and information about the device you use to access our sites (together, “cookies”) to enhance your viewing, listening and user experience, personalize content, personalize messages from NPR’s sponsors, provide social media features, and analyze NPR’s traffic. This information is shared with social media, sponsorship, analytics, and other vendors or…

If you’re worried about cookies, you could open the page in a private browsing mode. Cookies will not be saved between browsing sessions regardless of what you agree to.

Re: When tracking your period lets companies track you

#70

Post by classified »

gpmcadam wrote: post #67

"NPR’s sites use cookies, similar tracking and storage technologies, and information about the device you use to access our sites (together, “cookies”) to enhance your viewing, listening and user experience, personalize content, personalize messages from NPR’s sponsors, provide social media features, and analyze NPR’s traffic. This information is shared with social media, sponsorship, analytics, and other vendors or…

This surveillance economy stuff should really be illegal.
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