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1) There is no Facebook, Apple and Google on the list of "location data" companies. These guys have records on you for years of tracking and it didn't cause nyt

1) There is no Facebook, Apple and Google on the list of "location data" companies. These guys have records on you for years of tracking and it didn't cause nytimes to create a fancy article on them? 2) Funny how the only big company mentioned in the article is Apple, while iOS is far more difficult to convince to share location data with 3rd parties compared to Android.

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danso 7y ago
The story discusses the provenance of the data after the opening paragraph: > THE DATA REVIEWED BY TIMES OPINION didn’t come from a telecom or giant tech company, nor did it come from a governmental surveillance operation. It originated from a location data company, one of dozens quietly collecting precise movements using software slipped onto mobile phone apps. You’ve probably never heard of most of the companies — and yet to anyone who has access to this data, your life is an open book. Is your suggestion that the NYT wait until every large tech company leaks their databases to their reporters?
- criddell 7y ago
  Facebook, Apple, and Google don't have to leak anything. They don't conceal what they collect. If you haven't looked at it yet, Google's dashboard is pretty eye opening. You can see where you were every minute of the day years ago.
  - danso 7y ago
    Yes, I know of these systems and have been downloading/analyzing my personal data for years. And the press has written on the implications and risks of this data for years. I guess I don't understand what you're getting at? The NYT is not entitled to my or anyone else's data unless I give it to them. Ostensibly, the story under discussion is interesting because it is personal data for millions of users who have consented (via agreeing to terms of services) to the collection, but haven't fully grasped what happens when that data can reveal to a third party.
Grangar 7y ago
Those companies sell advertisements, but keep the raw data to themselves. After all, that's in their business interest. This article talks about vendors directly selling the data itself.

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danso 7y ago

The story discusses the provenance of the data after the opening paragraph: > THE DATA REVIEWED BY TIMES OPINION didn’t come from a telecom or giant tech company, nor did it come from a governmental surveillance operation. It originated from a location data company, one of dozens quietly collecting precise movements using software slipped onto mobile phone apps. You’ve probably never heard of most of the companies — and yet to anyone who has access to this data, your life is an open book. Is your suggestion that the NYT wait until every large tech company leaks their databases to their reporters?

criddell 7y ago
Facebook, Apple, and Google don't have to leak anything. They don't conceal what they collect. If you haven't looked at it yet, Google's dashboard is pretty eye opening. You can see where you were every minute of the day years ago.
- danso 7y ago
  Yes, I know of these systems and have been downloading/analyzing my personal data for years. And the press has written on the implications and risks of this data for years. I guess I don't understand what you're getting at? The NYT is not entitled to my or anyone else's data unless I give it to them. Ostensibly, the story under discussion is interesting because it is personal data for millions of users who have consented (via agreeing to terms of services) to the collection, but haven't fully grasped what happens when that data can reveal to a third party.

Grangar 7y ago

Those companies sell advertisements, but keep the raw data to themselves. After all, that's in their business interest. This article talks about vendors directly selling the data itself.