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Invisible Manipulation: 10 Ways our Data is Being Used Against Us:
The era where we were in control of the data on our own computers has been replaced with devices containing sensors we cannot control, storing data we cannot access, in operating systems we cannot monitor, in environments where our rights are rendered meaningless. Soon the default will shift from us interacting directly with our devices to interacting with devices we have no control over and no knowledge that we are generating data. Below we outline 10 ways in which this exploitation and manipulation is already happening.
As just one example from the short article:
8. Invisible Discrimination and Poverty
Online, and increasingly offline, companies gather data about us that determine what advertisements we see; this, in turn, affects the opportunities in our lives. The ads we see online, whether we are invited for a job interview, or whether we qualify for benefits is decided by opaque systems that rely on highly granular data. More often than not, such exploitation of data facilitates and exacerbates already existing inequalities in societies — without us knowing that it occurs. As a result, data exploitation disproportionately affects the poorest and most vulnerable in society.
That reminds me of the old saying: "The rich get richer and the poor get poorer." Percy Bysshe Shelley.
Here's another old saying:
"If one would give me six lines written by the hand of the most honest man, I would find something in them to have him hanged." Cardinal Richelieu.
How much data would suffice to accomplish this, today?
(Score: 5, Insightful) by Runaway1956 on Tuesday October 16 2018, @02:12AM (7 children)
Techs and nerds see advertising? Why? Is it part of the job? Is it in your contract, that you must permit advertiser's access to your desktop? How about your servers?
I see no advertising on my desktop. I've blocked the majority of ad servers at the router, and all of my browsers have uBlock and other addons to block all that nonsense. The various Google "services" are blocked, as well as third party scripting etc.
If I see an advertised Walmart product, it's because I did a search for the product, and the search led me to Walmart's site.
I remember when I used to watch television, the advertising took up increasing amounts of time. If 30% of your desktop space is devoted to advertising, like television, then you are probably doing something wrong.
(Score: 2) by MichaelDavidCrawford on Tuesday October 16 2018, @03:28AM (1 child)
It's Because I Am A Shameless Whore [pixelbegone.com].
Yes, ad servers enable tracking but ad servers alone won't be as precise as tracking pixels are.
There are a few native ad companies, they serve ads to your server, your server serve ads already embedded in its content. While in principle track could still be done, but would be far less computationally and energetically efficient, as well as a huge pain in the ass.
Yes I Have No Bananas. [gofundme.com]
(Score: 2) by MichaelDavidCrawford on Tuesday October 16 2018, @03:34AM
OK I fixed it.
I fixed it good.
Yes I Have No Bananas. [gofundme.com]
(Score: 4, Informative) by Kell on Tuesday October 16 2018, @04:09AM (4 children)
This is interesting to me because right now I am -the- most valuable market segment: young, working professional woman planning a wedding and expecting her first child shortly. Aside from absolutely breathless email marketing from companies at which I have actually bought products, I have not noticed an uptick anywhere else (eg. spam, phone spam, advertising post). But I am careful to not run scripts, avoid "rewards programs", avoid facebook like the plague, and to keep uBlock etc running. If you go out of your way to avoid it, it seems the marketing machine is toothless.
Scientists ask questions. Engineers solve problems.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Runaway1956 on Tuesday October 16 2018, @02:17PM (2 children)
Congratulations, on the wedding and the baby. And, congratulations again for taking control of your computer, and the advertising. Apparently, you've got it working like it should be working!
As for the baby, let me assure you that he/she will never work the way you expect. The husband probably won't either. But, enjoy them anyway!
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Unixnut on Tuesday October 16 2018, @02:27PM
Runway said it best, +1 Congratulations Mod (to fit in the spirit of Soylent :-) )
(Score: 2) by Kell on Thursday October 18 2018, @10:33AM
Heh, the husband is an artist - he doesn't work, child or not!
Scientists ask questions. Engineers solve problems.
(Score: 2) by linkdude64 on Tuesday October 16 2018, @10:29PM
+1 Congratulations mod