Comment by assblaster
8 years ago
The most obvious use of the data appears to be by credit card companies to detect fraudulent use of a card and decline those transactions. This is something I'm relatively comfortable with, though it's plainly in the interests of the bank and I only indirectly benefit from the tracking.
The most obvious use is insurance companies looking for excuses to deny claims.
Or maybe parallel construction used to deny/approve loans. E.g. I can't weight the loan approval negatively specifically bc the person is black, but the GPS information suggests they frequent black areas.
But really every use of this information is highly assymetrical. If they're using it to trade stocks, while regular people are using traditional means, it's an advantage we don't have access to. This is basically the virtual castle walls keeping us peasants out in the fields. Modern feudalism.
As blocking fraudulent claims could remove a reason for my premiums to he higher, I can't say I'm against that.
With the caveat, for course, that people are not always where their phone is so this taken on its own would be circumstantial evidence: one would hope decisions are not made directly based on this information.
It’s not in the interest of insurance companies to lower premiums. They only do it if competition is eating them alive. Geico has been raising their margins ever so slightly. I bet they are also the purchasers of ungodly amounts of data for targeting marketing.
Insurance companies #1 goal is to make maximum profits for their shareholders without getting caught with their pants down.
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Does it bother you that you're being tracked?
Yes, I am greatly bothered by it, especially because I am not aware of the extent that my information is being distributed.
On the one hand, I opt-in to location tracking for apps and services such as Google services, because I genuinely believe that I benefit greatly from location-targeted information. On the other hand, I would opt out of any other location tracking of my cellphone to companies that I do not see the benefit of having. I want fraud-protection and no liability when it comes to fraudulent purchases (opt-in for credit card companies and banks), but I don't want the government/Facebook/retailers/insurers to have this access without permission.
I'm not the person you're asking this question to, but I thought I'd reply anyways.
No, it doesn't really bother me. Why would anyone care that I get up around 7AM on weekdays, drive to work around 9, stay there until 5, and then drive home?
On weekends they will see me going to Target and the grocery store. Sometimes another store. Sometimes I go to visit my family in another city.
I really don't care if people have that information. Many people (not me) post that information freely on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.
There are some future situations in which I might care that I am being tracked. If that were the case, it's highly unlikely I would bring a phone with me.
Would I prefer not to be tracked? Probably. Does it bother me that I am being tracked? Nope.
I suspect these views line up with the majority of people in the US.
No one does. But let's assume you suddenly won the lottery. Now a lot of people care, and they're able to perfectly plan when exactly to rob your house as you are gone.
Just because you have no self-esteem doesn't mean other important people shouldn't have rights.
I wonder how many of the 16-million East Germans had this same utopian outlook on it..
Edit: While things are "good", I'm sure you and a lot of others don't see an issue. But you're giving yourself a lot of rope to be hung on if ever things become hard.
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Sorry. In your years of volunteering with the homeless you rubbed shoulders with the wrong people. Our data says you are Islamofilic. Please present yourself at the interrogation booth March 1st 2025. That's why.
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How do you expect this data to be used in your favor? If there is a technical glitch/human error and your data is intermingled with someone else's, it will be used against you silently and you will have no recourse.
Do baks sell customers location data?