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You can't leak users' data if you don't hold it

seancoates.com

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Re: You can't leak users' data if you don't hold it

#2
> Our first product is an iOS app designed to help you capture the best moments in your life

I have increasingly come to the belief that mediating our life experiences and social interactions through apps isn't good for us.

Your website "Matter" [1], to be honest, seems completely dystopian to me and an indication of all that's wrong with the relationship between technology and society.

[1] https://matter.xyz/

Re: You can't leak users' data if you don't hold it

#4
What happens when Matter gets acquired? I'm sorry, but all this self back-patting is a bit too little too late for this jaded guy, especially because a thousand other companies have made the same promises in cheery blog posts, before something happens and my social security number winds up on a sticky note on some hacker's monitor in Belarus. Hell, I've worked for companies where I was forced to break users' trust because some executive critter told me to when it was clear the profit faucet wasn't opened nearly enough.

So thanks, but this isn't enough anymore. We need laws that will guarantee that every company that handles our data will do it thoughtfully and safely. In the meantime, I'm not expecting much.

Re: You can't leak users' data if you don't hold it

#6

What happens when Matter gets acquired? I'm sorry, but all this self back-patting is a bit too little too late for this jaded guy, especially because a thousand other companies have made the same promises in cheery blog posts, before something happens and my social security number winds up on a sticky note on some hacker's monitor in Belarus. Hell, I've worked for companies where I was forced to break users' trust be…

Hello. Agreed that we need comprehensive privacy reform.

You should probably read the article, though. (-;

I have access to everything (on the tech side) at Matter, and if you put your social security number into the app, I wouldn't be able to access it to write it on a sticky note. That's the whole point.

PS I'm also old and jaded. (-;

Re: You can't leak users' data if you don't hold it

#7

What happens when Matter gets acquired? I'm sorry, but all this self back-patting is a bit too little too late for this jaded guy, especially because a thousand other companies have made the same promises in cheery blog posts, before something happens and my social security number winds up on a sticky note on some hacker's monitor in Belarus. Hell, I've worked for companies where I was forced to break users' trust be…

Hey, no need to cast aspersions on the infosec practices of Belorussian hackers, I bet they store their stolen credentials in an encrypted SQLite database as per industry best practice.

Re: You can't leak users' data if you don't hold it

#8

What happens when Matter gets acquired? I'm sorry, but all this self back-patting is a bit too little too late for this jaded guy, especially because a thousand other companies have made the same promises in cheery blog posts, before something happens and my social security number winds up on a sticky note on some hacker's monitor in Belarus. Hell, I've worked for companies where I was forced to break users' trust be…

> What happens when Matter gets acquired

That's a major point that's addressed in the blog post, did you read it?

Re: You can't leak users' data if you don't hold it

#9
I sympathize a lot with the headline statement; it boggles my mind on a lot of the data residency/integrity/confidentiality measures taken around massive data silos (as well as the infra teams companies bring to bear to manage, scale and then inevitably publish gospel articles on the web about) when companies could just opt… NOT to collect that data? I really like the model of “It stays on your device, we never see it. At most we get bare-minimum location statistics.” Although I question the assertion that their metrics system won’t be turned against them; seems obvious that anything programmed can be reprogrammed or updated, especially in the modern update-focused age. I don’t think they addressed that beyond a general statement that they took pains to assure that their users won’t ever be spied on. Would be interested in a technical article on that.

Side note, we at Sentinel Devices are taking exactly this “we don’t hold your data” approach for industrial machinery. Think automated AI pipelines that are air-gapped. And we’re hiring! If you’re interested, reach out to hello@sentineldevices.com

Re: You can't leak users' data if you don't hold it

#10
I agree with the core idea, avoid saving info so you can't ever leak it. I personally think our legal framework should be based on consequences to encourage this mentality more. If you are hacked I don't care even a little that you did everything right, I just care that my information got taken. You should be held liable even if you did what the industry thought was right.
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