4 ms·

For some people this is actually useful to have something intelligent figure out what might be useful/helpful. The downside however, is that there isn't an ince

by nyxtom 8y ago

For some people this is actually useful to have something intelligent figure out what might be useful/helpful. The downside however, is that there isn't an incentive for utility - just whatever is sold to the highest bidder. Recommendations aren't necessarily an evil thing even given context, but the issue is bias and creating the wrong incentives. I like that systems are intelligent enough to know whether product X is best matched up with products Y and Z based on my personal preference, but what I don't like is when that process becomes overly intrusive and recommends things not because of utility but because I've been "nudged" to buy something that some advertiser managed to bid for the widest reach.

Bartweiss 8y ago
> actually useful... however, is that there isn't an incentive for utility I hope this is something we start recognizing more broadly. Even the 'scary' features of these things could be useful and preserve privacy. I can think of a half-dozen IoT, voice control, or "Smart Home" features I would really like to have. But in practice, not only am I unwilling to make the privacy tradeoff, the existing solutions are made noticeably lower-quality by their monetization and data gathering. As a basic example, IoT products should (obviously!) work offline for all functionality that doesn't actually need an internet connection. But even a Chromecast won't function on a local network unless it's allowed to call home constantly. People sell lightswitches that cease functioning without a nonstop internet connection. That's insane. Worse, my ideal use cases would all involve heavy integration between devices. When that's available at all, it's based on attempts at ecosystem lock-in. Not only does that give one company extensive data, it destroys any market competition or ability to choose the products and features I want. Even the crudest tools for integrating for this stuff don't work. IFTTT is "user friendly", but half the supported components can't be used as triggers/inputs without joining their developer program. The monetization and privacy issues with this stuff aren't just a cost for the service, the way TV ads are. They actively destroy value. I would pay a massive premium for no-data-gathered hardware with robust APIs, but without wiring my own devices from scratch, I can't.
- deleted 8y ago
  [deleted]
vlunkr 8y ago
Recommending cough drops because echo heard you cough is hardly useful considering the cost.
- 14 8y ago
  More like "we notice you cough and our home smart smoke detector also detected smoke we now have data points suggestion you are a smoker" let us sell this data to health insurance companies so they can adjust your monthly premium accordingly. Just like those who install devices in their car for insurance companies to reward good driving, those who let us monitor them will be rewarded with better credit(social score).

by nyxtom 8y ago

Bartweiss 8y ago

> actually useful... however, is that there isn't an incentive for utility I hope this is something we start recognizing more broadly. Even the 'scary' features of these things could be useful and preserve privacy. I can think of a half-dozen IoT, voice control, or "Smart Home" features I would really like to have. But in practice, not only am I unwilling to make the privacy tradeoff, the existing solutions are made noticeably lower-quality by their monetization and data gathering. As a basic example, IoT products should (obviously!) work offline for all functionality that doesn't actually need an internet connection. But even a Chromecast won't function on a local network unless it's allowed to call home constantly. People sell lightswitches that cease functioning without a nonstop internet connection. That's insane. Worse, my ideal use cases would all involve heavy integration between devices. When that's available at all, it's based on attempts at ecosystem lock-in. Not only does that give one company extensive data, it destroys any market competition or ability to choose the products and features I want. Even the crudest tools for integrating for this stuff don't work. IFTTT is "user friendly", but half the supported components can't be used as triggers/inputs without joining their developer program. The monetization and privacy issues with this stuff aren't just a cost for the service, the way TV ads are. They actively destroy value. I would pay a massive premium for no-data-gathered hardware with robust APIs, but without wiring my own devices from scratch, I can't.

deleted 8y ago
[deleted]

vlunkr 8y ago

Recommending cough drops because echo heard you cough is hardly useful considering the cost.

14 8y ago
More like "we notice you cough and our home smart smoke detector also detected smoke we now have data points suggestion you are a smoker" let us sell this data to health insurance companies so they can adjust your monthly premium accordingly. Just like those who install devices in their car for insurance companies to reward good driving, those who let us monitor them will be rewarded with better credit(social score).