5 ms·

apple just posted data showing phone location activity in the context of "shelter in place" breaking up. google maps shows me live traffic based on phone locat

apple just posted data showing phone location activity in the context of "shelter in place" breaking up. google maps shows me live traffic based on phone locations. IE the war on "personal privacy" has already been lost. I installed the Australian govt covid tracing app this weekend, since the ability to trace and track new outbreaks is critical to easing lockdown. Google and apple already know where my phone is. Might as well admit that and use it as a public health tool.

redis_mlc 6y ago
> the ability to trace and track new outbreaks is critical to easing lockdown. Might work in some areas, but not in others. For example, what does contact tracing mean in a dense area like downtown SF? Probably not workable, especially since the US is not organized for this kind of public health crisis. I actually favor herd immunity for the US, since that's what we can actually accomplish before fall. > IE the war on "personal privacy" has already been lost. That's a separate issue. It's important to not conflate orthogonal concepts, or to make legal changes in reaction to a single crisis. Any privacy lost today will not be returned later.
kootling 6y ago
Honestly I'm somewhat okay with companies collecting user data. They should just make it easy to opt-out of data collection and to delete all my data (i.e., "right to be forgotten").
- Ididntdothis 6y ago
  And also not connect useful features to this opt out. For example Google Maps allows you to store locations only if you have location history enabled. I can't think of any reason for this besides an attempt to bully people into allow location history.
  - sullyj3 6y ago
    It seems plausible to me that it's just a consequence of some contingent aspect of the design of the location system, and there's not a compelling reason to refactor.

5 ms·

apple just posted data showing phone location activity in the context of "shelter in place" breaking up. google maps shows me live traffic based on phone locat

by greypowerOz 6y ago

redis_mlc 6y ago
> the ability to trace and track new outbreaks is critical to easing lockdown. Might work in some areas, but not in others. For example, what does contact tracing mean in a dense area like downtown SF? Probably not workable, especially since the US is not organized for this kind of public health crisis. I actually favor herd immunity for the US, since that's what we can actually accomplish before fall. > IE the war on "personal privacy" has already been lost. That's a separate issue. It's important to not conflate orthogonal concepts, or to make legal changes in reaction to a single crisis. Any privacy lost today will not be returned later.
kootling 6y ago
Honestly I'm somewhat okay with companies collecting user data. They should just make it easy to opt-out of data collection and to delete all my data (i.e., "right to be forgotten").
- Ididntdothis 6y ago
  And also not connect useful features to this opt out. For example Google Maps allows you to store locations only if you have location history enabled. I can't think of any reason for this besides an attempt to bully people into allow location history.
  - sullyj3 6y ago
    It seems plausible to me that it's just a consequence of some contingent aspect of the design of the location system, and there's not a compelling reason to refactor.