6 private links
The book "Chaos Monkeys"[1], while irritating in many ways, has a detailed description of how Facebook correlates its own advertising data with information from data brokers (such as credit card transaction aggregators). This kind of stuff has been happening for quite some time. (As an extra bonus, the book describes how the author's ad-tech startup got into YC and was bought by Twitter.)
MasterCard and Visa not only make money from each credit card transaction but to add insult to injury, they make money selling that transaction data as well! That's what I call a ludicrous business.
Since Wednesday night, Twitter users have been gre
So a brand like McDonald’s will know if you’re hungry, eating the competition, and more. Yeah it’s weird, but will it make online ads better?
As abused as they are, internet users need to build up some healthy "buyer beware" instincts around the tradeoffs.
This shouldn't be on the users. The disparity in knowledge between the people running the services and the people using them is huge. The reason a lot of laws (in general) exist is to protect the vulnerable from harm, including harm they don't have the capacity to understand. I think that's an important facet of this debate. It's not just 'free market/free choice' etc. The harm involved in giving up your privacy isn't fully understood by many people so it's up to the law to protect them.
Companies need to say “no” to privacy-invading innovations.
In December 2015, a Salesteam from Shazam music recognition app came by our office in Amsterdam to sell ads targeted and synchronized with TV commercials. Earlier that year they had done this with several big US advertisers: iPhones (and/or Android devices, I don't remember but their pitch was specific about the supported platform) with the Shazam app were constantly listening via the phone mic, when they recognised a Pepsi commercial, the app would register this and next time you open Shazam you would see a targeted ad. You had the ability to then target users even in other ad-supported apps and follow them via the Apple Advertising ID.
Since I am not living in my home country, I frequently use two different SIM cards and prefer having a phone with dual-sim support. This limits your choice s...
Apps are using ad-tracking audio signals that your phone can hear, but you can't.
The audio maker Bose, whose wireless headphones sell for up to $350, uses an app to collect the listening habits of its customers and provide that information to third parties—all without the knowledge and permission of the users, according to a lawsuit filed in Chicago on Tuesday.
Microsoft has been responding to Windows 10 privacy concerns for nearly two years now, and it appears the company has finally got the message and is prepared to act. Starting today, Microsoft is updating its privacy statement and publishing information about the data it collects as part of Windows 10. “For the first time, we have published a complete list of the diagnostic data collected at the Basic level,” explains Windows chief Terry Myerson in a company blog post. “We are also providing a detailed summary of the data we collect from users at both Basic and Full levels of diagnostics.”
See how data travels across the internet and the privacy risks it faces along the way
Better is a privacy tool for Safari on iPhone ,iPad, and Mac. It protects you from behavioural ads and companies that track you on the web by enforcing the principles of Ethical Design. You can download the Better apps from the App Store and Mac App Store.