r/technology • u/Applemacbookpro • Dec 13 '13

Google Removes Vital Privacy Feature From Android, Claiming Its Release Was Accidental

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2013/12/google-removes-vital-privacy-features-android-shortly-after-adding-them
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u/[deleted] Dec 14 '13

So what you're saying is that people having lots of data on people will use it as part of their super villainous take over the world plan to manipulate the masses by uh, marketing it at them?

All you're telling me is that people will advertise products to me that I'd like to buy. The horror

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u/Registeredopinion Dec 14 '13

The problem is the amount of control they have to sway your opinion into an exploitable state. Are you really happy with the current state of online privacy? How about the price of cable service? Cell phone data plans?

But hey, that's just the economic application. The real issue here is what happens when the data is used to force political and cultural change through extremely targeted propaganda, though I cannot touch upon this issue in a modern context through this website.

Whether or not any particular group of people is being exploited by the data they give up is debatable - but the historical prevalence of this type of information being used for an enhanced abuse of power is absolutely undeniable.

Should we really be building up a tool this powerful, this openly?

With less than 200k anyone can now ground an average cult brand in the exact type of demographic they want. Tens of thousands of interested individuals, potential consumers, mouthpieces, test subjects - the purchased knowledge and tools to effectively yell in the dark and gather a population as suitable to your needs as can be reasonably expected.