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Tell HN: YC companies scrape GitHub activity, send spam emails to users

news.ycombinator.com

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Re: Tell HN: YC companies scrape GitHub activity, send spam emails to users

#261

Post by influx »

grepfru_it wrote: post #242
tedivm wrote: post #219

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Half the time they literally say it in the email. I just looked in my spam folder and just a few hours ago got an email titled "Your profile: Github", that started with: > I came across your profile on GitHub. Given you're based in the US, I thought it might be relevant to reach out. > > Profile: https://github.com/tedivm They aren't doing anything to hide it.

But hold on. They could have git cloned your repo, used or otherwise analyzed your code which follows TOS then used the local git repo to pull your email address. How is GitHub responsible here?

They could have, but it seems unlikely they targeted one or two repos and probably cloned thousands or more.

Re: Tell HN: YC companies scrape GitHub activity, send spam emails to users

#263

Post by eli »

tedivm wrote: post #219
eli wrote: post #213

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm confused. How do you know what account scraped your email address from github in order to send you an email? Or do you mean going after the accounts of companies that make use of a likely scraped email address? That's not a bad idea either, but it has risks and isn't the same thing.

Half the time they literally say it in the email. I just looked in my spam folder and just a few hours ago got an email titled "Your profile: Github", that started with: > I came across your profile on GitHub. Given you're based in the US, I thought it might be relevant to reach out. > > Profile: https://github.com/tedivm They aren't doing anything to hide it.

That identifies the company that sent the email not the github account that scraped it

Re: Tell HN: YC companies scrape GitHub activity, send spam emails to users

#264

Post by mattpal21 »

Also I found this gem in my inbox - not just YC companies :/

""" Hi there!

I noticed you’re interested in on-device AI development and wanted to flag a new bounty program we just launched with Qualcomm. We’re looking for developers to build a local Android AI app (using the Nexa SDK). Since you're already exploring this space, I thought this might be an easy win for you.

The Bounty at a glance: - Prizes: $6,500 cash pool + Flagship Snapdragon devices. - Perks: Direct partnership & marketing spotlight from Qualcomm (huge for visibility) - The Ask: Build a working Android AI app that runs locally.

Registration is open now: https://sdk.nexa.ai/bounty

I want to help you win. Once you register, please reply to this email. I’d be happy to advise on your ideas to increase your chances of winning. Or, if you have an existing project, I can guide you on how to port it to NexaSDK for the submission

Best, Lynn @ Nexa AI """

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