Foursquare To Start Selling Your Data • Hacker News Board

Re: Foursquare To Start Selling Your Data

#11

Post by nollidge » Tue, Apr 30, 2013, 7:42 PM UTC

fxmartini wrote: post #8

shaufler wrote: post #7

Ad targeting != Selling personal data. This is a misleading, linkbait title.

They're selling your personal check-in data to retargeters, which is fine if the TOS specifically stated that they're doing this, but it doesn't.

> They're selling your personal check-in data to retargeters

There's no evidence that that's happening.

Re: Foursquare To Start Selling Your Data

#12

Post by kellyhclay » Tue, Apr 30, 2013, 7:52 PM UTC

nollidge wrote: post #11

fxmartini wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They're selling your personal check-in data to retargeters, which is fine if the TOS specifically stated that they're doing this, but it doesn't.

> They're selling your personal check-in data to retargeters There's no evidence that that's happening.

According to Foursquare's pitch deck, that's exactly what they plan to do.

Re: Foursquare To Start Selling Your Data

#13

Post by watsonc73 » Tue, Apr 30, 2013, 7:54 PM UTC

Once Facebook acquired Gowalla and Glancee, the writing was always on the wall for Foursquare. They need revenue as their business model is still shaky at best and seeing Facebook cannibalize this opportunity must have been a deciding factor. The irony is that they should probably should have sold to Facebook (who reportedly offered them $120M). Facebook would probably have done a better job monetizing check-ins with their current advertising clients than Foursquare will ever be able to. Too little too late IMHO.

As for the user, if people don't realize by now that they are the product, by receiving a service for free, then they probably deserve to be taken advantage of.

There's no such thing as a free lunch if you check-in ;-)

Re: Foursquare To Start Selling Your Data

#14

Post by VLM » Tue, Apr 30, 2013, 8:04 PM UTC

Would an accurate analogy be an old fashioned magazine article, where as far as I know the advertiser does not get a copy of the entire subscription list personal details, but they do get proof that each subscriber got one copy of their ad?

Maybe the old fashioned yellow pages paper phone book is an even better example. All I know for certain is everyone in zip code abcde just got a copy of the ad. That doesn't mean they have a list of everyone in zipcode abcde.

Re: Foursquare To Start Selling Your Data

#15

Post by nollidge » Tue, Apr 30, 2013, 8:30 PM UTC

kellyhclay wrote: post #12

nollidge wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> They're selling your personal check-in data to retargeters There's no evidence that that's happening.

According to Foursquare's pitch deck, that's exactly what they plan to do.

Cite it, then. I went through the slide deck. It talks about aggregating and selling "retargeting personas" based on check-in markers (e.g. "checked in once at a resort in the last year"), but nothing about selling your personal check-in data.

I think you're reading what you want into this.