10 votes

Angry Birds and the end of privacy

5 comments

  1. JXM
    Link
    I thought this was a fascinating look at how we've slowly been giving away more and more information about ourselves and our digital habits to advertisers over the past decade. I think this is one...

    I thought this was a fascinating look at how we've slowly been giving away more and more information about ourselves and our digital habits to advertisers over the past decade.

    I think this is one area where Apple should step up their policing of the App Store. If they're going to limit what apps are allowed in the store, why not make this type of invasive and hidden tracking one of the disqualifiers for being in the store?

    A Pew study published this January found that 76 percent of Americans knew basically nothing about Facebook’s tracking and targeting policies, even though other research shows that most people understand that they shouldn’t trust the company.

    I also found this quote important. People instinctively know they shouldn't trust Facebook, but they don't know why.

    4 votes
  2. NaraVara
    Link
    One thing this article misses is the world before the App Store that started out a lot of this. Facebook was lousy with apps, like FarmVille, which were whale hunts with crazy invasive ad tracking...

    One thing this article misses is the world before the App Store that started out a lot of this. Facebook was lousy with apps, like FarmVille, which were whale hunts with crazy invasive ad tracking built it. They really cut their teeth there before moving on to the App Store.

    Facebook even tried to continue chasing that dragon once Apple took the market by trying to release the Facebook phone and a proprietary Facebook internet. Thankfully that gambit failed.

    3 votes
  3. [3]
    mbc
    Link
    Damn, I had no idea that so much data was being shared with Angry Birds. I don't have a lot of apps on my phone, but I think it's time to see if there are any apps that I can delete.

    Damn, I had no idea that so much data was being shared with Angry Birds. I don't have a lot of apps on my phone, but I think it's time to see if there are any apps that I can delete.

    2 votes
    1. [2]
      NaraVara
      Link Parent
      A good practice is to periodically just delete anything you haven't used for more than a few months. If it's actually useful you can just redownload it. The only seldom used apps I keep are things...

      I don't have a lot of apps on my phone, but I think it's time to see if there are any apps that I can delete.

      A good practice is to periodically just delete anything you haven't used for more than a few months.

      If it's actually useful you can just redownload it. The only seldom used apps I keep are things that I might need where cell reception is bad or I'm stuck on spotty public WiFi. This is mostly travel or transportation related stuff like Kayak, Hotel Tonight, Maps.me, various airline apps, Uber/Lyft, etc.

      3 votes
      1. mbc
        Link Parent
        I like that technique. I also pretty much don't have games on my phone. There are two that I have on there, and they are games that I paid actual money for so I am hoping they're not reporting...

        I like that technique. I also pretty much don't have games on my phone. There are two that I have on there, and they are games that I paid actual money for so I am hoping they're not reporting back scads of information. Super Mario Run and Final Fantasy 6.

        1 vote