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Everyone knows your location: tracking myself down through in-app ads

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Re: Everyone knows your location: tracking myself down through in-app ads

#181

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Got a source on retailers actively doing this?

Its very well known that Target, Wallgreens use facial recognition for shoplifting. Its harder to prove any specific stores are using any specific survailence product for marketing, but plenty of companies are offering it. Here' Samsung's take: https://web.archive.org/web/20230410052807/https://www.samsu...

That’s really interesting- thanks for the link!

Re: Everyone knows your location: tracking myself down through in-app ads

#182

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The problem is that to you it seems like your data but to Walgreens they see it as theirs. They generated it with their point of sale system. The data is about a transaction that you made, but they generated all of it. Until we have agreement as a society about what “my data” means, this kind of stuff is going to run rampant.

>what “my data” means It makes me wonder, if everyone 'owned' their own data, I wonder if it could be used as a form of UBI. Everyone has data from using services, everyone owns it, everyone can sell it to make a living just doing whatever they are doing everyday. This is only just a shower thought I had the other day though, there are probably many pitfalls when it comes to such an idea.

I don't support UBI but that's a fascinating idea. Unfortunately the data is worth micropennies in the individual, so only worth something in aggregate, like a class action settlement where you end up with a cheque for $0.34 for damages which makes it not even worth your time, it'd only be good as the backdrop for a science fiction novel or as an experiment by a YouTube video by a well known creator to see how little money it would make. I would read the hell out of that book and watch that video tho!

Re: Everyone knows your location: tracking myself down through in-app ads

#183

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The problem is that to you it seems like your data but to Walgreens they see it as theirs. They generated it with their point of sale system. The data is about a transaction that you made, but they generated all of it. Until we have agreement as a society about what “my data” means, this kind of stuff is going to run rampant.

>what “my data” means It makes me wonder, if everyone 'owned' their own data, I wonder if it could be used as a form of UBI. Everyone has data from using services, everyone owns it, everyone can sell it to make a living just doing whatever they are doing everyday. This is only just a shower thought I had the other day though, there are probably many pitfalls when it comes to such an idea.

This idea is the subject of the 2013 book "Who Owns the Future?" By Jaron Lanier.

Re: Everyone knows your location: tracking myself down through in-app ads

#184

One big privacy issue is that there is no sane way to protect your contact details from being sold, regardless of what you do. As soon as your cousin clicks "Yes, I would like to share the entire contents of my contacts with you" when they launch TikTok your name, phone number, email etc are all in the crowd. And I buy this stuff. Every time I need customer service and I'm getting stonewalled I just go onto a marketp…

What marketplaces do you use?

Re: Everyone knows your location: tracking myself down through in-app ads

#185
post #6

There are quite a few interesting tracking flows out there. My rent is paid through a company called Bilt. I discovered that when I shop at Walgreens now, Bilt sends me an email containing the full receipt of what I bought like so: > Hey [inahga], > > You shopped at Walgreens on 12/1/24 and earned Bilt Points with your > Neighborhood Pharmacy benefit. > > Items eligible for rewards > TOSTITOS HINT OF LIME RSTC 11OZ >…

I believe that's opt-in. At least it seemed to be when my landlord switched to Bilt. There's a section of your Bilt profile that shows your other credit cards and whether you want them linked. It's pretty freaky to see them listed in the first place. I definitely keep them off. Bilt is ultimately a big points/reward program though, so you might get points for having them connected. I still haven't figured out exactly…

It was opt-out for me. Or at least, I was never given informed consent that this data exchange going to take place.

The landlord of course makes it _seem_ like you have no other modes of paying rent. The cashier’s check option is buried in the fine print.

Dark patterns all around IMO.

Re: Everyone knows your location: tracking myself down through in-app ads

#186
post #179

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Assuming these marketplaces operate within the bounds of the law, would it break HN’s ToS to post them? I’d be interested in pursuing the same strategy.

Most online forums ban "doxing" even if it's theoretically legal.

Technically it's one step removed from doxxing, but I'll take your point.

Re: Everyone knows your location: tracking myself down through in-app ads

#187

One big privacy issue is that there is no sane way to protect your contact details from being sold, regardless of what you do. As soon as your cousin clicks "Yes, I would like to share the entire contents of my contacts with you" when they launch TikTok your name, phone number, email etc are all in the crowd. And I buy this stuff. Every time I need customer service and I'm getting stonewalled I just go onto a marketp…

Honestly, kudos. The rules should apply to the ones foisting this system upon us as well. This is probably the only way to make anyone in power reconsider current setup.

And people laughed at Red Reddington when he said he had no email.

Re: Everyone knows your location: tracking myself down through in-app ads

#188

One big privacy issue is that there is no sane way to protect your contact details from being sold, regardless of what you do. As soon as your cousin clicks "Yes, I would like to share the entire contents of my contacts with you" when they launch TikTok your name, phone number, email etc are all in the crowd. And I buy this stuff. Every time I need customer service and I'm getting stonewalled I just go onto a marketp…

Actually this could prove very useful for a resistance movement. Take them down with with their own medicine.

Re: Everyone knows your location: tracking myself down through in-app ads

#189
post #6

There are quite a few interesting tracking flows out there. My rent is paid through a company called Bilt. I discovered that when I shop at Walgreens now, Bilt sends me an email containing the full receipt of what I bought like so: > Hey [inahga], > > You shopped at Walgreens on 12/1/24 and earned Bilt Points with your > Neighborhood Pharmacy benefit. > > Items eligible for rewards > TOSTITOS HINT OF LIME RSTC 11OZ >…

I'm assuming you're using your Bilt card when this happens. Your Bilt agreement stipulates how itemized transaction data (level 3 in payment terms, with level 2 being "enriched" with subtotals/tax and merchant information- which is what you typically see with your normal bank)

Card networks (Mastercard, VISA) have different fee structures that incentivize more detailed information like level 3 for lower processing fees for merchants - here's more details on levels https://na-gateway.mastercard.com/api/documentation/integrat...

https://support.biltrewards.com/hc/en-us/articles/5536526023...

Perhaps more interesting in your case is that if you had your card issues in or before 2022, it's likely with Evolve bank which was breached - https://medium.com/@HackLaddy/when-your-bank-doxxes-you-9152...

Re: Everyone knows your location: tracking myself down through in-app ads

#190
post #133

I'm a very happy paying customer of NextDNS ( https://nextdns.io ) which blocks known adware and tracking hosts across all mobile and desktop platforms.

Facebook hard-code IP addresses when their domains are blocked. I found this out while using NextDNS alongside that logging functionality that iPhones have. It’s insane the lengths that they go to.

One more reason I don’t use Facebook and will never install their app on my phone.
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