VariousPrograms
a year ago
Gadgets were more fun before everything felt like a data miner. I used to buy all sorts of tech junk 20 years ago like PDAs, GPS, MP3 players, fitness trackers, etc. but the primary purpose of everything now feels like sending all my data to ad companies and locking me into a subscription. If something has a camera, microphone, GPS, or just wifi now my impulse is that it’s creepy or something to be weary of rather than useful.
bamboozled
a year ago
I remember this time, some of the coolest non spy devices I remember were:
1. Sony Clie PDA.
2. Creative Nomad MP3 Player.
3. Most of my game consoles, Gameboys. I especially loved the Super Scope, I couldn't believe how cool that was.
4. Pretty much all my Linux devices until this day.
Having a w*k with my Apple Watch first the first time was unnerving
kenjackson
a year ago
Show companies that your value of privacy trumps the value they get from the data. For example, how much would you pay for a version of YouTube where they don't log your views at all? Would you pay $30/month for it? I think today companies believe you don't really value it. You just give it lip service. I suspect if we show (financially) how much we value it, we'll see them respond.
mystified5016
a year ago
For one, it's impossible to do what you suggest when no one offers such a thing. You can throw money at your screen, but it doesn't change the fact that there is no amount of money you can pay google to not track you.
Second, the data they extract from you is far more valuable than what anyone would pay. Besides that, there is absolutely nothing preventing them from taking your money and tracking you anyway. Even if they don't at first, a corporation cannot resist the 'free' revenue gained by tracking you and selling that data.
This is simply not something that the market can correct. It must be a legal mechanism enforced by the government.