Comment by TimPC
1 day ago
Big tech likes this because there are a lot more face recognition technologies in the wild in real life and being able to connect all real life data to online data is quite valuable. It's also quite possibly the largest training set ever for face recognition if ids are stored and given how ids and images are sold across many companies it seems very high probability that some company will retain the data rather than delete after use.
China (and US via latin american countries and it's own poor people ...via benefit programs access via id.gov) is testing both biometrics and device id to evaluate pros and cons, and to merge data, when it come to autocratic control.
In china there are places to scan you device and get coupons. usually at elevators in residential buildings so they can track also if you're arriving or leaving easily.
In the US every store tracks and report to ad networks your Bluetooth ids. and we know what happens to ad networks.
US now requires cars to report data, which was optional before (e.g. onstar) and china joined on this since the ev boom.
the public id space is booming.
> US now requires cars to report data, which was optional before (e.g. onstar) and china joined on this since the ev boom.
This isn't true, there is no federal requirement for a cellular modem in cars. Most modern cars have one, but nothing prevents you from disabling or removing it. I certainly would not tolerate such a "bug" in by car.
> In the US every store tracks and report to ad networks your Bluetooth ids.
This also isn't true, modern phones randomize Bluetooth identifiers. I personally disable Bluetooth completely.
read the connected vehicle laws. the intent was to forbid Chinese components. the actual effect is that even allowing to connect your phone will require full certification, at which point the manufacturer is financially motivated to not offer options without the telemetry they can sell to equifax et al (just like happened with smart tvs). So, yes, in practice all US cars will have radios, unless you specifically order a custom model.
and yeah, your phone gives all the deniability and randon ids, etc. but if you allow apps to access location it's game over. also, just go see that google sells one option where you pay by people who saw you ad physically entered a store. (ps: sadly, I implemented the DSP side of this)
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So don't use big tech. No one needs discord, or porn, or social media. But this is not the answer. The answer is fighting to change the laws. And we can start changing the laws by boycotting big tech. Laws are changed by money flows, not ideology.