41–50 of 124 posts
Meh, I'm still not convinced. I mean, I suppose I get possibly being creeped out that Google knows you prefer Pepsi over Coke and that you recently purchased an adult toy or whatever, but...meh? So they'll use that data to sell me targeted ads that I'm just going to block anyways. I just don't see how it's actually harmful beyond the government access issue that's just dropped in as a single sentence at the end of on…
Meh, I'm still not convinced. I mean, I suppose I get possibly being creeped out that Google knows you prefer Pepsi over Coke and that you recently purchased an adult toy or whatever, but...meh? So they'll use that data to sell me targeted ads that I'm just going to block anyways. I just don't see how it's actually harmful beyond the government access issue that's just dropped in as a single sentence at the end of on…
Or using the service in the first place?
The big promise of answering "So what?" and it amounts to: it's fine if you are fine with it.
> As you can see, I'm not averse to using Google or other Big Tech companies' products, but I try to avoid putting my entire data life in just a handful of baskets.
So, it's not about using Google. It's about just using Google.
I think a great example of why data privacy matters was the recent concern many American women had about whether data collected by their period tracking app could be used to persecute them for abortions. While you might believe that the data being collected about you is harmless, a government hostile to you could use that data against you with great effect.
I've never used an ad blocker. I (generally) always "accept all cookies" from that European thing. I do use "incognito mode" sometimes -- but not often.
I've never gotten any malware or other things like that. I've never had someone show up at my door in a black coat. I personally think that most of the concerns people have about targeted ads is much ado about nothing.
I'll also say: my phone company knows everyone I've called. My credit card company knows everywhere I've traveled or eaten. And I'm pretty sure those guys *sell* my info. But people generally don't seem concerned about that(?)
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Out of curiosity, what are some examples of Google packaging and reselling data?
this is a serious question? Google collects anything and everything they possibly can, from every user who touches any of their software, platforms or devices. They then sell this data on dozens or hundreds of data broker platforms. Data includes your web browsing history, location history, passive microphone recording history and email history ("anonymized" but still meta data)
I wasn’t aware of this part specifically, so I’d like to learn more. Has this been covered in the news or something? This seems like a big deal.
Obviously in a very small minority here but I decided almost 10 years ago to give them as much data as possible because they were leading in AI and I want AI to have access to as much data on me as possible to make life easier when it gets smart enough. Hasn't panned out yet but I don't really regret it.
I like that they directly tried to answer this question, but I still think the "so what" case is stronger, for me anyway. I don't use an ad blocker and there are certain sites that are annoying, but I think the biggest influence on me is that I avoid those websites. I don't notice the actual ads very often (other than as an annoyance) and I don't buy very much. What I buy seems more influenced by other things like Wi…
yet you claim that you move away from sites that merely annoy you with ads. I'm highly skeptical.
I'll probably get hate for this, but: I've never used an ad blocker. I (generally) always "accept all cookies" from that European thing. I do use "incognito mode" sometimes -- but not often. I've never gotten any malware or other things like that. I've never had someone show up at my door in a black coat. I personally think that most of the concerns people have about targeted ads is much ado about nothing. I'll also…
They know all your personal info from the credit card you're using anyways. The phone number you provide at the supermarket is a formality.
The proof is in the pudding: When I buy stuff at home depot, there was one time I provided my email address for a receipt. Now every time it asks if I want my receipt emailed.
"Aha!" you say "You provided them your email address". They already would know, because they track you through the store with cameras.
https://news.adobe.com/news/news-details/2022/Adobe-Drives-P...
(As an aside, that quote in the article about "72% of consumers say that poor personalization decreases their trust in brands. " is 100% made up bullshit, lol)