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Oh god, why am I about to defend zucc? Anyway this article seems to be 100% wrong. 1-5: True but not dark patterns. Yes they are using the IG user base to bo

Oh god, why am I about to defend zucc? Anyway this article seems to be 100% wrong. 1-5: True but not dark patterns. Yes they are using the IG user base to bootstrap the threads user base. So what? Was it a dark pattern when google came out with docs and everybody already had an account? 6: Come on, threads asks for permission to send notifications just like every other app, and sends them at a very normal frequency for a social app, in fact if anything a bit less than IG, twitter, etc. Just say no when it asks for permission. Not a dark pattern. 7: Also not a dark pattern. Yes I'm sure the app reported that I liked a picture of a prothonotary warbler to the facebook ad targeting mainframe. Senator, we run ads. 8: As far as I can tell completely wrong. Threads doesn't have access to my location, health data, or financial data?! 9: Right, you can't use threads unless you have threads. Your FOMO is not a dark pattern. 10: False, there is a read-only website. It is very limited but it supports permalinks to threads, and from there you can navigate to user profiles, other threads, etc. 11: Not even wrong, just speculation.

sieabahlpark 3y ago
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sdflhasjd 3y ago
> 10: False, there is a read-only website. It is very limited but it supports permalinks to threads, and from there you can navigate to user profiles, other threads, etc. I keep hearing this, but I've literally never seen it. threads.net just gives me a "download the app" landing page with a QR code.
- minutillo 3y ago
  Does this link work for you? https://www.threads.net/t/Cu2Ps0mJ4Hv/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== https://www.threads.net/t/Cu2Ps0mJ4Hv/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA...
  - sdflhasjd 3y ago
    It does, actually. The first I've ever really seen "Threads". Although even for a "read-only" site, there's not much there. You can go to the profile, but that's about it. Unless that's really all threads is, this just looks like a way of getting people to download the app.
autoexec 3y ago
> 8: As far as I can tell completely wrong. Threads doesn't have access to my location, health data, or financial data?! The following data may be collected and linked to your identity: Health & Fitness Purchases Financial Info Location Contact Info Contacts User Content Search History Browsing History Identifiers Usage Data Sensitive Info Diagnostics Other Data source: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/threads-an-instagram-app/id6446901002 https://apps.apple.com/us/app/threads-an-instagram-app/id644...
- minutillo 3y ago
  Previous discussion on this topic: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36640720 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36640720
- mysticllama 3y ago
  I think his original statement is still correct -- Threads only requests device permissions for notifications, it isn't collecting "location, health data, or financial data" from your device. The App Store disclosure you're referencing means these data can be aggregated and associated with your identity, but that's just the nature of using any social media app that serves ads these days.
  - cratermoon 3y ago
    > it isn't collecting "location, health data, or financial data" from your device How can you be certain?
    - minutillo 3y ago
      On iOS you can easily check what permissions an app has in Settings. For instance I can see I have granted Instagram access to location, microphone, camera, photo album. Threads has none of those. I don't use Health and I'm not sure what financial data would mean, Apple Pay? That's approved per each use. If threads has figured out a way to collect those things without having permissions, then yes, that would be the darkest of dark patterns.
kedean 3y ago
Most of these can be lumped under "I don't like vertical integration". Which to be fair, neither do I, but it's a bit of a misuse of the term to call most of these dark patterns. They mostly fall into the category of things that they were obviously always going to do, because no manager could defend not doing them (imagine someone trying to defend making a brand new account system for this)
- gorlilla 3y ago
  You wouldn't make a brand new account system. You'd adopt OAuth login that keeps the accounts linked but still technically separate. If i login to all services using my 'meta' oauth, it'd make sense that i lose everything that was under that master account. The inverse should never be true, a linked account should be severable if it is the child. This is absolutely a dark pattern in that context.
nunez 3y ago
Losing your IG account if you delete your Threads account is a dark pattern. Not even sure how that's legal? Also, that permission list is insanely long. Why tf does a social media app need access to my health data?

sieabahlpark 3y ago

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sdflhasjd 3y ago

> 10: False, there is a read-only website. It is very limited but it supports permalinks to threads, and from there you can navigate to user profiles, other threads, etc. I keep hearing this, but I've literally never seen it. threads.net just gives me a "download the app" landing page with a QR code.

minutillo 3y ago
Does this link work for you? https://www.threads.net/t/Cu2Ps0mJ4Hv/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== https://www.threads.net/t/Cu2Ps0mJ4Hv/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA...
- sdflhasjd 3y ago
  It does, actually. The first I've ever really seen "Threads". Although even for a "read-only" site, there's not much there. You can go to the profile, but that's about it. Unless that's really all threads is, this just looks like a way of getting people to download the app.

autoexec 3y ago

> 8: As far as I can tell completely wrong. Threads doesn't have access to my location, health data, or financial data?! The following data may be collected and linked to your identity: Health & Fitness Purchases Financial Info Location Contact Info Contacts User Content Search History Browsing History Identifiers Usage Data Sensitive Info Diagnostics Other Data source: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/threads-an-instagram-app/id6446901002 https://apps.apple.com/us/app/threads-an-instagram-app/id644...

minutillo 3y ago
Previous discussion on this topic: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36640720 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36640720
mysticllama 3y ago
I think his original statement is still correct -- Threads only requests device permissions for notifications, it isn't collecting "location, health data, or financial data" from your device. The App Store disclosure you're referencing means these data can be aggregated and associated with your identity, but that's just the nature of using any social media app that serves ads these days.
- cratermoon 3y ago
  > it isn't collecting "location, health data, or financial data" from your device How can you be certain?
  - minutillo 3y ago
    On iOS you can easily check what permissions an app has in Settings. For instance I can see I have granted Instagram access to location, microphone, camera, photo album. Threads has none of those. I don't use Health and I'm not sure what financial data would mean, Apple Pay? That's approved per each use. If threads has figured out a way to collect those things without having permissions, then yes, that would be the darkest of dark patterns.

kedean 3y ago

Most of these can be lumped under "I don't like vertical integration". Which to be fair, neither do I, but it's a bit of a misuse of the term to call most of these dark patterns. They mostly fall into the category of things that they were obviously always going to do, because no manager could defend not doing them (imagine someone trying to defend making a brand new account system for this)

gorlilla 3y ago
You wouldn't make a brand new account system. You'd adopt OAuth login that keeps the accounts linked but still technically separate. If i login to all services using my 'meta' oauth, it'd make sense that i lose everything that was under that master account. The inverse should never be true, a linked account should be severable if it is the child. This is absolutely a dark pattern in that context.

nunez 3y ago

Losing your IG account if you delete your Threads account is a dark pattern. Not even sure how that's legal? Also, that permission list is insanely long. Why tf does a social media app need access to my health data?