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There may be a steep privacy cost if you park here

latimes.com

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Re: There may be a steep privacy cost if you park here

#21

Post by reaperducer »

the_snooze wrote: post #16

I hate tech like this. It ostensibly offers some minor convenience for the end-user, but it's really just a big data grab for whatever company implemented it. A few years ago, I went to a local Shake Shack and found they replaced their cashiers with kiosks. But placing an order requires me to give them my phone number, supposedly so they can text me when my order was ready. This should have been a very simple transac…

I always put a fake number into the Shake Shack kiosk. It hasn't been a problem, since the people sacking the burgers shout out my equally fake name to pick up my order.

If Shake Shack is really texting me that my order us ready, it's going to a prison pay phone a dozen states away.

Re: There may be a steep privacy cost if you park here

#23

Post by LegitShady »

Waterluvian wrote: post #15
unicornporn wrote: post #13

Oh, great timing. Just ended a conversation with some friends who had bought a dishwasher. The display for these new machines had been removed, so the only way to tell when the machine was really finished was to... Guess what? Download an app! I suppose I don't need to tell you all the permissions it asked for...

Someone can make an absolute killing by creating an entire brand of “dumb” appliances that Just Work. Make them sensible quality, modern, entirely offline.

they'll make a lot less of 'an absolute killing' than the devices and apps that spy on you through your phone and generate a constant revenue stream after the initial purpose.

That's why dumb devices are getting harder and harder to find. It's much easier to take advantage of users and steal their data with 'smart' devices.

Re: There may be a steep privacy cost if you park here

#24

Post by _jal »

sneak wrote: post #10

I don't install apps to be a customer. Most apps are spyware that collect tons of data on you, despite Apple's marketing claims. I think I am the only customer at my gym that uses a physical fob. Push back. Say "no, sorry, I can't install apps". Or use a dumbphone for a month per year. They do this because they can get away with it. Make them bring you a printed menu.

Exactly right.

If you need an app on my phone to take my money for normal, everyday transactions, you don't need my money.

Side tangent - I used to be incorporated as a consultant, and think I need to be again because of crap like this, so it can own things for me. I haven't had a car in a long time, and think I need to lease one from MeCo instead of buying one.

Re: There may be a steep privacy cost if you park here

#25

Post by encryptluks2 »

not-elite wrote: post #19
encryptluks2 wrote: post #5

The worst offender I've seen is Xfinity/Comcast. Recently cancelled service, never got a notice and multiple incorrect bills after canceling. Anytime I would talk you customer service, they would always say... "If you want to see your correct bill, then you have to download the app." I continually would have to tell them that I'm not downloading their damn app and that they are big enough that they can have the corre…

You will be happy to learn that under Chair Khan, the FTC is going to prioritize enforcement actions against this specific practice. Only 1 Commissioner issued a dissenting statement. [1] Comcast has probably already discontinued the practice, as it's been 2 weeks since the policy statement was issued. [1] https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2021/10/ftc-r...

According to the press release, there are a lot of grey room and no these companies have not magically discontinued their "dark" patterns because of some press release. The only thing that will actually get companies like this to do anything is enforcement, and the government historically lets companies like this off extremely easy and they decide the small penalties are worth the extra they make by doing the thing they are not supposed to be doing.

Re: There may be a steep privacy cost if you park here

#26

Post by bnjemian »

Waterluvian wrote: post #15
unicornporn wrote: post #13

Oh, great timing. Just ended a conversation with some friends who had bought a dishwasher. The display for these new machines had been removed, so the only way to tell when the machine was really finished was to... Guess what? Download an app! I suppose I don't need to tell you all the permissions it asked for...

Someone can make an absolute killing by creating an entire brand of “dumb” appliances that Just Work. Make them sensible quality, modern, entirely offline.

100% agree, I've been saying this for years. I've joked with friends that I'd call it Dumb Inc. It's (mostly) in jest, but I think there's a real mismatch of expectations with a lot of modern appliances with respect to what a consumer needs and what companies use to try and differentiate their products from the competition.

In evolutionary biology, there's this idea that "evolution is stingy" – in most cases, a species doesn't have substantially more capability than it needs to survive (human brains are an often cited exception). I kind of expect that, outside of a computer, most product design should be err on the side of being stingy too. If I buy a toaster, I don't need it to be wi-fi connected so it can send me a text notification when the toast is done. I say this satirically, but I genuinely wouldn't be surprised if one existed. Frackin' toasters.

Re: There may be a steep privacy cost if you park here

#27

Post by FpUser »

gruez wrote: post #8
pengaru wrote: post #3

> The parking-lot attendant, he said, “let me off with a warning that I wouldn’t be so lucky next time.” So... for some old timer who pulls up without a smartphone they'll turn them away? Sounds like an empty threat to me. Edit: Should have read more before commenting, later in the article: > customers “also have the option of entering their license plate number into one of four kiosks as a means of validating their…

>So... for some old timer who pulls up without a smartphone they'll turn them away? yeah? AFAIK if you want to shop at an amazon go store, you need mobile app and a registered amazon account. We're also getting there at other places because some establishments/jurisdictions are requiring proof of vaccination (ie. signed QR code).

I shop at amazon using web browser. I would never install any of their apps.

Re: There may be a steep privacy cost if you park here

#28

Post by reaperducer »

encryptluks2 wrote: post #5

The worst offender I've seen is Xfinity/Comcast. Recently cancelled service, never got a notice and multiple incorrect bills after canceling. Anytime I would talk you customer service, they would always say... "If you want to see your correct bill, then you have to download the app." I continually would have to tell them that I'm not downloading their damn app and that they are big enough that they can have the corre…

I told my cable company that I'm blind. That seemed to fix a similar situation.

Amusingly, two weeks after i get my regular cable bill in the mail, i now get a very large Braille version of it, as well.

At least i think that's what it is.

Re: There may be a steep privacy cost if you park here

#30

Post by 01100011 »

unicornporn wrote: post #13

Oh, great timing. Just ended a conversation with some friends who had bought a dishwasher. The display for these new machines had been removed, so the only way to tell when the machine was really finished was to... Guess what? Download an app! I suppose I don't need to tell you all the permissions it asked for...

Personally I think I prefer devices which offload the UI to a smartphone. I was thinking of something like this years ago where you could use something like Bluetooth to push a web UI so devices like thermostats would no longer need to have a shitty UI for things like programming schedules.

Unfortunately in this case the greed of the manufacturer hoping to monetize their UI has ruined an otherwise decent idea(although the device really should function on some basic level without a phone).

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