How to Turn Kids Into Debt Slaves: Toymakers Busted for Data Mining Children - Polidicks

[QUOTE=Dr. Ethan Asia;51069086]I'm no pinko tinfoil hat corporate conspiracist, and I understand you, but the only reason any company does anything is if it thinks it'll make it money. They only improve the user experience in order to mollify consumers.[/QUOTE] And you ignore the rest of what he said.

[QUOTE=Map in a box;51068157]Why do you have a problem with a company improving their product based on how its used?[/quote] nothing. But that's also not what they're doing. They don't need datamining for that. What they need datamining for is advertising. And I'm fucking tired of advertising. I'm fucking tired of being treated like a goddamn walking wallet by every corporation on this planet. If you want me to be okay with this sort of thing you're going to have to give me a pretty severe brain injury that drastically changes my personality. If all they wanted to do was improve the site, exit surveys work well for that as does feedback dropped through the contact us sections. They datamine because they can sell us to advertisers, no other reason. And their datamining doesn't generate anything useful for retooling the site anyway. Nothing they mine tells them of my opinion of how well or not well the site is laid out, what I think about the categories, how smooth checkout is, whatever. At most they can track what I look into(Which they do, and use to advertise more shit to me), and track page generation times(Which they don't even need to track users for, they can and probably do perform this check on their end). The data is more or less worthless for the reason you're claiming they're acquiring it. [quote] This is edge extreme.[/QUOTE] The only thing 'edgy' is your use of that ridiculous, worthless, meaningless term.

[QUOTE=TestECull;51069818]nothing. But that's also not what they're doing. They don't need datamining for that. What they need datamining for is advertising. And I'm fucking tired of advertising. I'm fucking tired of being treated like a goddamn walking wallet by every corporation on this planet. If you want me to be okay with this sort of thing you're going to have to give me a pretty severe brain injury that drastically changes my personality. If all they wanted to do was improve the site, exit surveys work well for that as does feedback dropped through the contact us sections. They datamine because they can sell us to advertisers, no other reason. And their datamining doesn't generate anything useful for retooling the site anyway. Nothing they mine tells them of my opinion of how well or not well the site is laid out, what I think about the categories, how smooth checkout is, whatever. At most they can track what I look into(Which they do, and use to advertise more shit to me), and track page generation times(Which they don't even need to track users for, they can and probably do perform this check on their end). The data is more or less worthless for the reason you're claiming they're acquiring it. The only thing 'edgy' is your use of that ridiculous, worthless, meaningless term.[/QUOTE] Would you prefer the term 'paranoid'? Either you're so crazy that the concept of advertising is evil to you, or you're okay with the concept of advertising yet have a problem with [I]improving[/I] advertising.

[QUOTE=Dr. Ethan Asia;51069086]I'm no pinko tinfoil hat corporate conspiracist, and I understand you, but the only reason any company does anything is if it thinks it'll make it money. They only improve the user experience in order to mollify consumers.[/QUOTE] This is true, of course. But why does it matter WHY they're improving experience? With globalization, the scope of available products has become wider and wider, and companies simply aren't making money with products that appeal to EVERY consumer (unless you're, like, apple) [editline]18th September 2016[/editline] but also everything else in the post was p. important.

[QUOTE=TestECull;51069818]nothing. But that's also not what they're doing. They don't need datamining for that. What they need datamining for is advertising. And I'm fucking tired of advertising. I'm fucking tired of being treated like a goddamn walking wallet by every corporation on this planet. If you want me to be okay with this sort of thing you're going to have to give me a pretty severe brain injury that drastically changes my personality. If all they wanted to do was improve the site, exit surveys work well for that as does feedback dropped through the contact us sections. They datamine because they can sell us to advertisers, no other reason. And their datamining doesn't generate anything useful for retooling the site anyway. Nothing they mine tells them of my opinion of how well or not well the site is laid out, what I think about the categories, how smooth checkout is, whatever. At most they can track what I look into(Which they do, and use to advertise more shit to me), and track page generation times(Which they don't even need to track users for, they can and probably do perform this check on their end). The data is more or less worthless for the reason you're claiming they're acquiring it. The only thing 'edgy' is your use of that ridiculous, worthless, meaningless term.[/QUOTE] So, basically, you're pulling shit out of your ass without any evidence while proof of the contrary has been given already. Because exit surveys are totally more convenient. Because exit surveys never have liars. Because exit surveys totally collect enough data to be useful.

Datamining isn't the problem itself, it's a tool to be used or misused. The problem arises when there's a lack of transparency because it's very possible to abuse metrics horribly. These companies shouldn't have to be "busted," they should be open about what they're doing and why.

i've given up on caring about my data being mined, it is a lost cause

[QUOTE=thelurker1234;51071793]Datamining isn't the problem itself, it's a tool to be used or misused. The problem arises when there's a lack of transparency because it's very possible to abuse metrics horribly. These companies shouldn't have to be "busted," they should be open about what they're doing and why.[/QUOTE] Trouble is, they'll never be fully open and honest about it when there's money to be made.

[QUOTE=Ninja Gnome;51073017]i've given up on caring about my data being mined, it is a lost cause[/QUOTE] You're functionally anonymous in almost all data mining exercises anyway due to the sheer amount of data being processed. You'd have to be such a severe outlier that you throw averages way out of whack to be identifiable in almost every data mining exercise I can think of. Collection of personal details unique to your person is a waste of time, knowing your name and average wanks per week doesn't tell a company anything they would really need to know. Knowing that you are part of x% users who do y rather than z is useful. Personal details would just add pointless bloat to the already huge data problem being solved.

My main concern with data mining is who gets access to the "non personally identifying" info. Lets say I play violent video games. Amazon knows this because I bought "Hatred" or some other game most people would find "disturbing." If an employer had the ability to search for my name and see this info as if he was an advertiser, would that impact his decision to hire me? My data is supposedly anonymized, so my name might not show up, but [B]my data is not shown to me to be able to confirm if there isn't a way to identify me this way.[/B] The employer has my name, [I]address[/I], credentials, [I]phone number[/I], work history, degree, etc. Could he link my Amazon purchase history through other data trawled by ad companies? That's my main concern. I have no clue what info is out there about me from the minor shit I do every day on the internet. And if there was info about me that could be linked to my accounts that might have my phone number or name, there isn't realistically any way I could remove this info. I also have no clue who can access this data. I just don't like not being able to stay private. I want to control who knows me, who knows what I like, who knows where I live, etc. but that's impossible with shit like Whitepages existing. If I want to use social media to connect with my friends who are basically unavailable if I don't use Facebook, even if I set my privacy settings up correctly and use ad blockers, tracker blockers, etc. this info still leaks out. I don't want to go [I]Walden[/I] and fuck off to the woods but nowadays it seems like that's the only option if you want to be private.

[QUOTE]Jumpstar – tracking tech was found on its Neopets site in addition to a plug-in that sent data about visitors to Facebook. They were fined $85[/QUOTE] Wow, 85 whole dollars. How will the company ever be able to get back on its feet after this financial blow?

Believe me guys it's nothing close to private. Every time I made a new credit or debit card, soon there will be like 30 people selling insurances and scammers calling me day and night. Some of them even had the gall to try to scam me. It even disturbs my work. Each time I invest money in a fund, the same group pops out of nowhere. My phone message is filled with ads for online gambling and casino. Where would they get my infos if not from those forms that I filled in? This might be slightly different from internet data mining, but just goes to show people really can do whatever they want with your data.

how can I sell my data? Right now Im just a cow getting milked for free.

[QUOTE=hakimhakim;51077588]Believe me guys it's nothing close to private. Every time I made a new credit or debit card, soon there will be like 30 people selling insurances and scammers calling me day and night. Some of them even had the gall to try to scam me. It even disturbs my work. Each time I invest money in a fund, the same group pops out of nowhere. My phone message is filled with ads for online gambling and casino. Where would they get my infos if not from those forms that I filled in? This might be slightly different from internet data mining, but just goes to show people really can do whatever they want with your data.[/QUOTE] It's probably publicly listed somewhere for legal reasons (gov't sites), a private bank wouldn't sell your data to whomever. [editline]20th September 2016[/editline] The data that's publicly listed is either your phone number, name, or both. One can be extracted from another.

[QUOTE=hakimhakim;51077588]Believe me guys it's nothing close to private. Every time I made a new credit or debit card, soon there will be like 30 people selling insurances and scammers calling me day and night. Some of them even had the gall to try to scam me. It even disturbs my work. Each time I invest money in a fund, the same group pops out of nowhere. My phone message is filled with ads for online gambling and casino. Where would they get my infos if not from those forms that I filled in? This might be slightly different from internet data mining, but just goes to show people really can do whatever they want with your data.[/QUOTE] Well this has nothing to do with what this thread is going on. In order for companies to do what you said, you have to agree to them being able to do that. You signing up for a terrible credit/debit card doesn't mean that internet advertisers will suddenly know your phone number.

[QUOTE=hakimhakim;51077588]Believe me guys it's nothing close to private. Every time I made a new credit or debit card, soon there will be like 30 people selling insurances and scammers calling me day and night. Some of them even had the gall to try to scam me. It even disturbs my work. Each time I invest money in a fund, the same group pops out of nowhere. My phone message is filled with ads for online gambling and casino. Where would they get my infos if not from those forms that I filled in? This might be slightly different from internet data mining, but just goes to show people really can do whatever they want with your data.[/QUOTE] That isn't anything remotely related to data mining for user experience purposes like the one in the article this thread is about. That's your bank or credit company being fucking shitty and sharing your details with partners. Something they normally have to disclose and provide at the minimum an opt-out over here (might be different where you live). That is the purposeful sharing of customer details for partnerships and lead generation, not data mining.

[QUOTE=bitches;51070072]Would you prefer the term 'paranoid'?[/quote] I would prefer the terms 'pissed', 'frustrated', 'fed up'. They accurately describe it without adding unnecessary edginess and double meanings. I'm fucking tired of literally every surface I cast my eyes upon trying to sell me something I don't want or need, or something I already own, or something I get better from another company. It's tiring. It's why I have been an avid TIVO user pretty much since the day DTV started offering them, why I am so strict with my zero tolerance policies with Ad Block Plus, part of why I don't buy movies. I'm fucking tired of the incessant advertising. [i]and that's just the general, untargeted, blanket shit.[/i] It just gets worse when I'm reminded that every company with whom I've ever done business has turned around and sold my data to every advertiser that waved a few greenbacks at them. I don't see the results browsing the internet, of course, but I know goddamn well that behind ABP's impenetrable fence lies a sea of ads targeted to me based on the data I've been forced to submit buying things online, registering for shit, etc. If I could I'd outright disable things like amazon's 'you might like...' pane...in fact I might be able to nuke that if I fuck around with noscript or greasemonkey or ABP in the right way...I want to be left the fuck alone. Stop selling me things for five god damned minutes, Society! [i]if I want to buy it I will seek it out of my own volition![/i] [editline]21st September 2016[/editline] [QUOTE=hexpunK;51081098] That's your bank or credit company being fucking shitty and sharing your details with partners. Something they normally have to disclose and provide at the minimum an opt-out over here (might be different where you live). That is the purposeful sharing of customer details for partnerships and lead generation, not data mining.[/QUOTE] Which is standard business practice. Unless there's laws to stop it business will happily trade databases with advertisers. Nothing is sacred, secure these days.