3 ms·

This is not a shot at you but your comment sums up the 'privacy problem' in the tech industry right now. (Sorry, couldn't resist.) Whether or not normal users

by rickmb 14y ago

This is not a shot at you but your comment sums up the 'privacy problem' in the tech industry right now. (Sorry, couldn't resist.) Whether or not normal users understand these things isn't relevant. The fact is that in countries with strong privacy protection (like most of Europe), collecting such data is illegal regardless. It's the act of collecting the data that is considered invasive. Compare this to the real world: we do a lot of things in public, but it would be really invasive if Google employees would start following us around, recording our public movements and conversations. We shouldn't have to live our lives in secret and "encrypt" everything we do in order to have some privacy. The bottom line: it's not the part of the tech industry that provides "insecure" services that is at fault, it's the part of the tech industry that feels it has the right to abuse the information "because it is there". We should stop accepting the widespread notion in the industry that crime is a valid business strategy until you get caught.

k-mcgrady 14y ago
I agree with you completely (I don't think I made my point clearly). I don't think it would be fine to breach privacy if we educated users properly. What I was getting at is that many people in tech seem to think that is the problem. That people don't understand how their data is being used and what to do if they don't want to allow access to it, when the companies shouldn't be anywhere near the data in the first place. You sum it up well: >>"The bottom line: it's not the part of the tech industry that provides "insecure" services that is at fault, it's the part of the tech industry that feels it has the right to abuse the information "because it is there"."
Daniel_Newby 14y ago
> ... collecting such data is illegal regardless. No, WiFi operates in the ISM band, which is by design a free-for-all where the only thing regulated is the emitted radio power. It is intentionally the radio equivalent of a public billboards where microwave ovens and iPads fight for supremacy. In any event, the actual criminals are going to exploit it no matter what. Google should probably invoice the complainers for saving them from themselves.

by rickmb 14y ago

k-mcgrady 14y ago

I agree with you completely (I don't think I made my point clearly). I don't think it would be fine to breach privacy if we educated users properly. What I was getting at is that many people in tech seem to think that is the problem. That people don't understand how their data is being used and what to do if they don't want to allow access to it, when the companies shouldn't be anywhere near the data in the first place. You sum it up well: >>"The bottom line: it's not the part of the tech industry that provides "insecure" services that is at fault, it's the part of the tech industry that feels it has the right to abuse the information "because it is there"."

Daniel_Newby 14y ago

> ... collecting such data is illegal regardless. No, WiFi operates in the ISM band, which is by design a free-for-all where the only thing regulated is the emitted radio power. It is intentionally the radio equivalent of a public billboards where microwave ovens and iPads fight for supremacy. In any event, the actual criminals are going to exploit it no matter what. Google should probably invoice the complainers for saving them from themselves.