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[Link Posting] Your Smartphone Apps Are Filled With Trackers You Know Nothing About

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  [Link Posting] Your Smartphone Apps Are Filled With Trackers You Know Nothing About Rich <rich@example.invalid> - 2019-05-11 16:12 +0000
    Re: [Link Posting] Your Smartphone Apps Are Filled With Trackers You Know Nothing About Batchman <batchman@dosville.foo> - 2019-05-11 21:13 +0000
      Re: [Link Posting] Your Smartphone Apps Are Filled With Trackers You Know Nothing About RS Wood <rsw@therandymon.com> - 2019-05-11 21:06 -0400
        Re: [Link Posting] Your Smartphone Apps Are Filled With Trackers You Know Nothing About ant@zimage.comANT (Ant) - 2019-05-11 22:55 -0500
    Re: [Link Posting] Your Smartphone Apps Are Filled With Trackers You Know Nothing About Sylvia Else <sylvia@email.invalid> - 2019-05-12 15:17 +1000
      Re: [Link Posting] Your Smartphone Apps Are Filled With Trackers You  Know Nothing About Mike Spencer <mds@bogus.nodomain.nowhere> - 2019-05-13 03:14 -0300
        Re: [Link Posting] Your Smartphone Apps Are Filled With Trackers You Know Nothing About Sylvia Else <sylvia@email.invalid> - 2019-05-13 17:25 +1000
        Re: [Link Posting] Your Smartphone Apps Are Filled With Trackers You Know Nothing About Bruce Horrocks <07.013@scorecrow.com> - 2019-05-13 12:35 +0100
          Re: [Link Posting] Your Smartphone Apps Are Filled With Trackers You Know Nothing About Huge <Huge@nowhere.much.invalid> - 2019-05-13 14:15 +0000
          Re: [Link Posting] Your Smartphone Apps Are Filled With Trackers You Know Nothing About Eli the Bearded <*@eli.users.panix.com> - 2019-05-13 22:58 +0000
      Re: [Link Posting] Your Smartphone Apps Are Filled With Trackers You Know Nothing About not@telling.you.invalid (Computer Nerd Kev) - 2019-05-13 22:56 +0000
        Re: [Link Posting] Your Smartphone Apps Are Filled With Trackers You Know Nothing About Huge <Huge@nowhere.much.invalid> - 2019-05-14 00:23 +0000
        Re: [Link Posting] Your Smartphone Apps Are Filled With Trackers You Know Nothing About Dan Purgert <dan@djph.net> - 2019-05-14 00:24 +0000
        Re: [Link Posting] Your Smartphone Apps Are Filled With Trackers You Know Nothing About RS Wood <rsw@therandymon.com> - 2019-05-14 18:46 -0400

#17961 — [Link Posting] Your Smartphone Apps Are Filled With Trackers You Know Nothing About

      ####################################################################
      # ATTENTION: This post is a reference to a website.  The poster of #
      # this Usenet article is not the author of the referenced website. #
      ####################################################################

<URL:https://onezero.medium.com/the-app-privacy-crisis-apple-and-google-
need-to-fix-now-4e3590f2fc52>

The text below is a quotation from the URL above:
>
>  Most of us understand by now that we're being followed across the web.
>  But how much do we know about how the smartphone apps we use track our
>  every move? Thanks to tiny pieces of code that millions of developers
>  use to make their lives easier, an array of companies gets free access
>  to data they can employ to understand your habits. The process is
>  invisible, and it's worse news for you than you might think.
>
>  When we browse the web through Google Chrome, for example, a dizzying
>  array of companies follow us. Such is the Wild West of our modern web,
>  but you still remain in control of which sites you visit and which
>  social networks you log into.
>
>  The shift to native apps changes this equation, however. Suddenly you're
>  no longer in full control of what's loaded, nor of who is tracking you,
>  and you must trust app developers to do the right thing.
>
>  On mobile, tracking is generally performed through the use of a
>  "software development kit" or SDK - a set of tools that helps app
>  developers get something done faster. Many SDKs help developers debug
>  their code or hook into useful services, but others help advertisers and
>  marketing companies peer into your private life. Take the iHeartRadio
>  app for example: Last fall, Medium reported that it contained code from
>  Cuebiq's SDK, which would permit user data to be sold for the purposes
>  of ad tracking.
>
>  ...

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#17962

On Sat, 11 May 2019 16:12:22 +0000, Rich wrote:

> ####################################################################
>       # ATTENTION: This post is a reference to a website.  The poster of #
>       # this Usenet article is not the author of the referenced website. #
>       ####################################################################
> 
> <URL:https://onezero.medium.com/the-app-privacy-crisis-apple-and-google-
> need-to-fix-now-4e3590f2fc52>
> 

Thanks for your post!

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#17964

On 2019-05-11, Batchman <batchman@dosville.foo> wrote:
> On Sat, 11 May 2019 16:12:22 +0000, Rich wrote:
>
>> ####################################################################
>>       # ATTENTION: This post is a reference to a website.  The poster of #
>>       # this Usenet article is not the author of the referenced website. #
>>       ####################################################################
>> 
>> <URL:https://onezero.medium.com/the-app-privacy-crisis-apple-and-google-
>> need-to-fix-now-4e3590f2fc52>
>> 
>
> Thanks for your post!

Feels like 99% of port 80 is malicious these days.  Usenet and Gopher
remain just what they always were: flawed in some ways and forgotten by
nearly everyone, but absolutely not malicious (the occasional Usenet
flamewar not withstanding). Remember when the biggest threat was someone
getting your email address and using it to spam you?  Ha, the luxury of
thte threat being only that!

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#17967

RS Wood <rsw@therandymon.com> wrote:
> On 2019-05-11, Batchman <batchman@dosville.foo> wrote:
> > On Sat, 11 May 2019 16:12:22 +0000, Rich wrote:
> >
> >> ####################################################################
> >>       # ATTENTION: This post is a reference to a website.  The poster of #
> >>       # this Usenet article is not the author of the referenced website. #
> >>       ####################################################################
> >> 
> >> <URL:https://onezero.medium.com/the-app-privacy-crisis-apple-and-google-
> >> need-to-fix-now-4e3590f2fc52>
> >> 
> >
> > Thanks for your post!

> Feels like 99% of port 80 is malicious these days.  Usenet and Gopher
> remain just what they always were: flawed in some ways and forgotten by
> nearly everyone, but absolutely not malicious (the occasional Usenet
> flamewar not withstanding). Remember when the biggest threat was someone
> getting your email address and using it to spam you?  Ha, the luxury of
> thte threat being only that!

And IP addresses!
-- 
Quote of the Week: "We now go live to Ollie Williams in Channel 5 
traffic chopper. What's scene?" --Tom Tucker. "Everyone looks like 
ants!" "That is probably because you're up so high." from Family Guy.
Note: A fixed width font (Courier, Monospace, etc.) is required to see this signature correctly.
  /\___/\   Ant(Dude) @ http://aqfl.net & http://antfarm.home.dhs.org /
 / /\ /\ \ http://antfarm.ma.cx. Please nuke ANT if replying by e-mail.
| |o   o| |
   \ _ /
    ( )

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#17968

On 12/05/2019 2:12 am, Rich wrote:
>        ####################################################################
>        # ATTENTION: This post is a reference to a website.  The poster of #
>        # this Usenet article is not the author of the referenced website. #
>        ####################################################################
> 
> <URL:https://onezero.medium.com/the-app-privacy-crisis-apple-and-google-
> need-to-fix-now-4e3590f2fc52>
> 
> The text below is a quotation from the URL above:
>>
>>   Most of us understand by now that we're being followed across the web.
>>   But how much do we know about how the smartphone apps we use track our
>>   every move? Thanks to tiny pieces of code that millions of developers
>>   use to make their lives easier, an array of companies gets free access
>>   to data they can employ to understand your habits. The process is
>>   invisible, and it's worse news for you than you might think.
>>
>>   When we browse the web through Google Chrome, for example, a dizzying
>>   array of companies follow us. Such is the Wild West of our modern web,
>>   but you still remain in control of which sites you visit and which
>>   social networks you log into.
>>
>>   The shift to native apps changes this equation, however. Suddenly you're
>>   no longer in full control of what's loaded, nor of who is tracking you,
>>   and you must trust app developers to do the right thing.
>>
>>   On mobile, tracking is generally performed through the use of a
>>   "software development kit" or SDK - a set of tools that helps app
>>   developers get something done faster. Many SDKs help developers debug
>>   their code or hook into useful services, but others help advertisers and
>>   marketing companies peer into your private life. Take the iHeartRadio
>>   app for example: Last fall, Medium reported that it contained code from
>>   Cuebiq's SDK, which would permit user data to be sold for the purposes
>>   of ad tracking.
>>
>>   ...

People putting trackers on my phone will discover that I spend too much 
time at McDonald's. They won't learn much else.

Perhaps I'll start receiving advertisements for coronary-bypass surgeons.

Sylvia.

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#17975 — Re: [Link Posting] Your Smartphone Apps Are Filled With Trackers You Know Nothing About

Sylvia Else <sylvia@email.invalid> writes:

> People putting trackers on my phone will discover that I spend too much 
> time at McDonald's. They won't learn much else.
> 
> Perhaps I'll start receiving advertisements for coronary-bypass surgeons.

And weight loss pills. And militant vegans/vegetarians.  And Burger
King & KFC.  And Large Woman fashion vendors. And of course McDonalds
itself.

-- 
Mike Spencer                  Nova Scotia, Canada

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#17976

On 13/05/2019 4:14 pm, Mike Spencer wrote:
> Sylvia Else <sylvia@email.invalid> writes:
> 
>> People putting trackers on my phone will discover that I spend too much
>> time at McDonald's. They won't learn much else.
>>
>> Perhaps I'll start receiving advertisements for coronary-bypass surgeons.
> 
> And weight loss pills. And militant vegans/vegetarians.  And Burger
> King & KFC.  And Large Woman fashion vendors. And of course McDonalds
> itself.
> 

Hmmm.....

Well, it hasn't happened yet.

Perhaps the trackers in my other activities have convinced them that 
leaving me alone is a seriously good idea.

Sylvia.

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#17981

On 13/05/2019 07:14, Mike Spencer wrote:
> Sylvia Else <sylvia@email.invalid> writes:
> 
>> People putting trackers on my phone will discover that I spend too much
>> time at McDonald's. They won't learn much else.
>>
>> Perhaps I'll start receiving advertisements for coronary-bypass surgeons.
> 
> And weight loss pills. And militant vegans/vegetarians.  And Burger
> King & KFC.  And Large Woman fashion vendors. And of course McDonalds
> itself.
> 

Most companies, and McDonalds is a good example, have a very limited 
product range, with no real choice for the customer. Basically the 
customer takes it or leaves it. And that's great - McDonalds are not 
impoverished and customers seem to like it.

Car manufacturers are similar. You might be able to choose your paint 
colour but you can't choose for example, to take the performance braking 
system from the performance model of any given car but with the 
non-performance engine, because you favour safety.

Your choices are limited to what the manufacturer provides. So why do 
online advertisers feel the need to sub-divide the public into ever 
smaller, more 'precise' categories?

Which product is it that will sell to 5th generation first-nation 
heritage Pontiac driving males that won't sell to 5th generation, 
first-nation heritage Ford driving males?

Eventually advertisers will recognise this lunacy and in 20 years time 
will glibly explain to future marketing students "Ah, well, the Internet 
and Social Media were new then and we didn't fully understand them - 
/not like we do now/" as though that makes all the difference. Well, 
we're living the consequences of your "we didn't fully understand" and 
it sucks.

-- 
Bruce Horrocks
Surrey
England
(bruce at scorecrow dot com)

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#17982

On 2019-05-13, Bruce Horrocks <07.013@scorecrow.com> wrote:
> On 13/05/2019 07:14, Mike Spencer wrote:
>> Sylvia Else <sylvia@email.invalid> writes:
>> 
>>> People putting trackers on my phone will discover that I spend too much
>>> time at McDonald's. They won't learn much else.
>>>
>>> Perhaps I'll start receiving advertisements for coronary-bypass surgeons.
>> 
>> And weight loss pills. And militant vegans/vegetarians.  And Burger
>> King & KFC.  And Large Woman fashion vendors. And of course McDonalds
>> itself.
>> 
>
> Most companies, and McDonalds is a good example, have a very limited 
> product range, with no real choice for the customer. Basically the 
> customer takes it or leaves it. And that's great - McDonalds are not 
> impoverished and customers seem to like it.
>
> Car manufacturers are similar. You might be able to choose your paint 
> colour but you can't choose for example, to take the performance braking 
> system from the performance model of any given car but with the 
> non-performance engine, because you favour safety.
>
> Your choices are limited to what the manufacturer provides. So why do 
> online advertisers feel the need to sub-divide the public into ever 
> smaller, more 'precise' categories?
>
> Which product is it that will sell to 5th generation first-nation 
> heritage Pontiac driving males that won't sell to 5th generation, 
> first-nation heritage Ford driving males?
>
> Eventually advertisers will recognise this lunacy 

I wouldn't bank on it. I worked with Marketing a lot at ${MEGABANK} and
they were ... odd.

-- 
I don't have an attitude problem.  If you have a problem with my
              attitude, that's your problem.

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#17989

In comp.misc, Bruce Horrocks  <07.013@scorecrow.com> wrote:
> Most companies, and McDonalds is a good example, have a very limited 
> product range, with no real choice for the customer. Basically the 
> customer takes it or leaves it. And that's great - McDonalds are not 
> impoverished and customers seem to like it.

(four lines moved below for separate commenting)

> Your choices are limited to what the manufacturer provides. So why do 
> online advertisers feel the need to sub-divide the public into ever 
> smaller, more 'precise' categories?

Because the customer for McDonalds is not always the customer for Burger
King and vice versa. The smaller categories can possibly catch that.

A person might vastly prefer one or the other for some product that
isn't at the reciprocal. If the advertiser knows you really, really like
the McRib (eg), then when Jack-in-the-Box wants to launch a rib
sandwich, they know which eyeballs to target. Similarly, if a person
only goes to Burger King because it's the rare fast food chain with a
veggie burger, then maybe Wendy's introducing a veggie offering would be
a tempting ad.

The categories are there because advertisers for the *niche* products
want the niche targetting, the broadly popular products need much less
help in targetting.

One of the biggies, I learned during my nine month stint working for a
mobile ad company, is installed apps. Many ads are targetted towards
people who have app Foo installed because they think that Foo is in the
same market category for Bar who wants to you to download their app.

The ad middle men get paid on conditions like "installed and launched
the app" or "installed and took a ride" (for Uber-type stuff). The
launch an app situation probably pays a lot less than the ride hail
situation. They collect data about the users to get an idea about which 
ad to show you. If you've previously installed and used Uber and
Sidecar, but don't have Lyft installed then an ad for Lyft is a good
idea. If you have never had any ride hail app installed (that they know
of), they're more likely to a different spot.

They also like to judge how involved you are at the moment. If the app
can access the motion sensors, the app can get an idea of "is this
person watching this video, or listening to it while jogging" and use
that to decide what ad to play.

> Car manufacturers are similar. You might be able to choose your paint 
> colour but you can't choose for example, to take the performance braking 
> system from the performance model of any given car but with the 
> non-performance engine, because you favour safety.

You might be the perfect target for after-market safety modification
sales in that case.

> Which product is it that will sell to 5th generation first-nation 
> heritage Pontiac driving males that won't sell to 5th generation, 
> first-nation heritage Ford driving males?

Pontiac window decals?

> Eventually advertisers will recognise this lunacy and in 20 years time 
> will glibly explain to future marketing students "Ah, well, the Internet 
> and Social Media were new then and we didn't fully understand them - 
> /not like we do now/" as though that makes all the difference. Well, 
> we're living the consequences of your "we didn't fully understand" and 
> it sucks.

I'm not sure that I agree with you a hundred percent on your policework
there, Lou. The trend in marketing has been "know the customer" for
increasing values of "know" for at least as long as marketing as been
separate service company.

That job certianly increased my paranoia about app permissions.

Elijah
------
never wants another app with ads

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#17988

Sylvia Else <sylvia@email.invalid> wrote:
> 
> People putting trackers on my phone will discover that I spend too much 
> time at McDonald's. They won't learn much else.
> 
> Perhaps I'll start receiving advertisements for coronary-bypass surgeons.

If they discovered that my habits involve no fast food chains at all,
they might all be scrambling to hook me into being a new customer.

Thanks to my resistance against such tracking though, I think the
only chance of that is if they're reading this post on Usenet.
Now to see if McDonalds endorsements mysteriously start appearing in
the sigs of posts replying to me...

-- 
__          __
#_ < |\| |< _#

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#17991

On 2019-05-13, Computer Nerd Kev <not@telling.you.invalid> wrote:
> Sylvia Else <sylvia@email.invalid> wrote:
>> 
>> People putting trackers on my phone will discover that I spend too much 
>> time at McDonald's. They won't learn much else.
>> 
>> Perhaps I'll start receiving advertisements for coronary-bypass surgeons.
>
> If they discovered that my habits involve no fast food chains at all,
> they might all be scrambling to hook me into being a new customer.
>
> Thanks to my resistance against such tracking though, I think the
> only chance of that is if they're reading this post on Usenet.

In your dreams.


-- 
I don't have an attitude problem.  If you have a problem with my
              attitude, that's your problem.

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#17992

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Hash: SHA256

Computer Nerd Kev wrote:
> Sylvia Else <sylvia@email.invalid> wrote:
>> 
>> People putting trackers on my phone will discover that I spend too
>> much time at McDonald's. They won't learn much else.
>> 
>> Perhaps I'll start receiving advertisements for coronary-bypass
>> surgeons.
>
> If they discovered that my habits involve no fast food chains at all,
> they might all be scrambling to hook me into being a new customer.
>

Or whatever your normal vice is.


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-- 
|_|O|_| Brawndo - It's got what plants crave!
|_|_|O| Github: https://github.com/dpurgert
|O|O|O| PGP: 05CA 9A50 3F2E 1335 4DC5  4AEE 8E11 DDF3 1279 A281

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#17994

On 2019-05-13, Computer Nerd Kev <not@telling.you.invalid> wrote:
> If they discovered that my habits involve no fast food chains at all,
> they might all be scrambling to hook me into being a new customer.
>
> Thanks to my resistance against such tracking though, I think the
> only chance of that is if they're reading this post on Usenet.
> Now to see if McDonalds endorsements mysteriously start appearing in
> the sigs of posts replying to me...
>

Oh, odds are you should be OK.  Usenet is off the radar these days.

--
Now at McDonalds, try a large burger and fries for only $3.99 and get a
value meal upgrade for another $0.99, some restrictions apply.

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