I know data privacy is important and I know that big corporations like Meta became powerful enough to even manipulate elections using our data.
But, when I talk to people in general, most seem to not worry because they “have nothing to hide”, and most are only worried about their passwords, banking apps and not much else.
So, why should people worry about data privacy even if they have “nothing to hide”?
TikTok recommends me stand-up comedy and thicc goth girls because that’s what I’ve swiped on. Every now and then MTG card reviews pop up because I think that dude is funny.
I’m not a child, so I’m capable of curating shit I watch
I’m a huge fan of TikTok and YouTube’s algos because they show me shit I am interested in. Same with my targeted ads, except for the shitty mobile game ones.
Regardless, this is not a specific profile for me as a person. It’s a profile for that service, on this phone, taking some info from common internet connection points.
So they must have a database entry specifically for you and be able to recognize you. Otherwise they couldn’t recommend you anything after you closed the app.
No, my phone ID and random data snippets are not “me.” If I have another device and sign in under a different email, I get totally different content while still being me.
Well i think you underestimate what algorithms can piece together. And i don’t think it is necessary to know everything about someone. Even if you’re missing half of the picture… A few key facts may be enough to manipulate someone or gently push them into a direction that is more aligned to your goals as a company (for example). Information can be linked after the fact. And - we’re getting a bit philosophical here - You’re kind of the sum of your parts, your history, behaviours and different interests. No single part defines you but still they’re part of you and of what you are. If I can get access to some part of you like your literacy, what kind of media you consume to make up your mind. What kind of people you’re going to meet on social media. I’m starting to affect a part of what is ‘You’ and it also affects you as an entity.
I’m glad you value privacy. I’m not exactly sure what those algorithms do. But there are cookies and there is browser fingerprinting. And it works pretty well. If you use two accounts and use the same device, they can most likely tell by your browser fingerprint and they already know they both belong to you. And even if you’re using seperate devices. If you’re using a residential internet connection, it’s the same IP address for both devices. This is probably also evaluated, because they store that information for the advertisers, because being in close geographical proximity is important for some metrics.
Seems weird to have a passionate stance on this, then.
What do you want from me? Those algorithms are proprietary. A few select people in the world know what exactly they’re doing and which data gets stored how in the databases. We can make assumptions by their behaviour. From time to time something gets leaked and we learn some details. We used to learn how the google pagerank algorithm works in university. Now google suggests me what to read and i just swallow that. And you keep making apologies and deny you can be / are being manipulated…?! or harm you ‘reliably’?
I think it’s a pretty huge logical stretch to assume I am manipulated because I know algorithms don’t have a profile on me you can just look up. That’s not how data science works at all.
A good sign you’re in conspiracy theory territory is that your entire model breaks down if the algorithm designers aren’t specifically supervillains.
what exactly do you think (for example) targeted advertising is? and by looking at the revenue of big tech, do you think it succeeds at that? do you know cambridge analytica and the country of great britain?
we already established they do.
Watch something like “the social dilemma”. why do YOU think silicon valley hires psychologists for app design? Do you think it’s ethical to try and get people addicted to your product?
I’m sure it succeeds at times. There’s a lot of dumb people. However, I don’t see how that’s an algorithm’s fault and not the dumb person’s fault.
“The social dilemma” is absurd conspiracy shit lmao. C’mon man don’t tell me you believed that shit. Wait til you discover “A Funny Thing Happened On The Way to the Moon”
I’m not gonna debunk the whole show (I’ll link one instead) but they hire psychologists because they’re pursuing engagement. I have no issue with that. Psychologists work a lot of jobs you wouldn’t expect. Psychology (and Philosophy) are actually strong undergrads for people who want Finance careers too.
Debunk: https://daniellenewnham.medium.com/why-the-social-dilemma-is-wrong-17d8b2952187
And another if you can’t get past the above paywall: https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/netflix-social-dilemma-tech-1.5740351
Talk about being manipulated, my dude.