I cut and pasted what sounds like a standard disclaimer while researching an investment related topic. Don’t know how common this one is. Sounds like gibberish to me, but a bit unnerving that sites want to track your every move. The internet / Google have been transformed since inception (perhaps 20-30 years ago?) from a rich source of information to a largely advertising medium, plus an intense invasion of privacy “mining” operation. And I haven’t even gotten to Farcebook yet … err “Meta”.
“We and our partners store and/or access information on a device, such as cookies and process personal data, such as unique identifiers and standard information sent by a device for personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, and audience insights, as well as to develop and improve products. With your permission we and our partners may use precise geolocation data and identification through device scanning. You may click to consent to our and our partners’ processing as described above. Alternatively you may access more detailed information and change your preferences before consenting or to refuse consenting. Please note that some processing of your personal data may not require your consent, but you have a right to object to such processing. Your preferences will apply to this website only. You can change your preferences at any time by returning to this site or visit our privacy policy.”
That geolocation tracking opens all kinds of possibilities …
- hours spent at the pub every day
- identification of friends & family members you may visit or otherwise come into contact with
- number of days per year spent vacationing and what cities / states you travel to
- specific movies, concerts, broadway shows you attend
- prices of the hotel rooms you can afford
- political events you may attend
- extra-martial affairs you may have engaged in
Holly Creepers …
And in attempting to check the weather forecast I encountered this baby!
“When you use AccuWeather Sites, your device may send us some or all of the following:
GPS Coordinates. The GPS coordinates of a device. On many devices, enabling or disabling "Location Services" or a similar setting controls whether the device sends GPS coordinates.
Internet Protocol (IP) Address. An IP Address is a number automatically assigned by Your Internet Service Provider (ISP). The IP address is the host computer a device uses to connect to the ISP's network to send information to Us or to our Providers and for a device to receive information back from Us or from our Providers.
Device ID. A Device ID is a combination of letters and numbers that is unique to the device You are using. The Device ID identifies the device, regardless of who is using the device. On many devices, the Device ID is provided by the device manufacturer and stored permanently in the memory of the device. Depending on how the manufacturer configured the device, You may not be able to change it.
Advertising ID (AAID) or ID for Advertising (IDFA). These are combinations of letters and numbers that are unique to the device You are using. However, these identifiers may not be permanent. Depending on Your device, You may be able to reset them through the settings of Your device or Your browser. Information about other devices that are near Your device . Your device commonly has several types of wireless communications methods, and each is enabled or disabled separately by You. If You are using a wireless or cellular connection, the device may log and transmit when it has come in contact or connected to other devices or components of the network the device is using. These include things such as:
When You enable WiFi, a basic service set identifier (BSSID) of a WiFi access point near the device
When You enable a cellular connection, a cell tower near the device
When You enable Bluetooth, a Bluetooth beacon near the device
Information from sensors on Your device. Many mobile devices include sensors that measure information about the surroundings of the device. These include things like gyroscopes, accelerometers and altimeters that measure things like rotation, speed direction and altitude. Some wearable devices also include sensors for body conditions like pulse and body temperature.
Information about the performance of Your device. This may include information such as how much battery power the device is using, the operating system and version the device is using and the version of Our application the device is using.
Cookies. Cookies are files with small amounts of data, which may include an anonymous unique identifier. If You are accessing an AccuWeather Site through a browser, including a browser on a mobile device, cookies may be sent to the browser and stored in the device's memory. This identifies the device the next time it accesses an AccuWeather Site through a browser. You can instruct your browser to refuse all cookies or to indicate when a cookie is being sent. However, if You do not permit the device to accept cookies, Your experience may not be optimal when You return to an AccuWeather Site because We may not recognize the device. You can learn more about how we use cookies here.
Pixel Tags, Web Beacons, Flash Shared Objects/HTML5 Local Storage/HTML5 Mini Databases. Many mobile devices use these technologies which allow for the storage of information on the mobile devices and, in effect, allow the enhancement of internet browsing The Flash Shared Objects, HTML5 Local Storage and HTML5 Mini Databases also allow the device to track a user's web browsing movements across the internet and not just on one particular website. You can learn more about how we use these technologies here.
If you turn off "Location Services" or a similar setting that controls GPS functionality, the device still may automatically send or receive this other information as long as you have these other communications types enabled. You should read the instructions related to Your device, operating system or browser to learn about how to control the information Your device may transmit.”
A few of my concerns …
Are they scanning email sent and received?
Can they view the data you’ve stored inside apps when you are using them?
Could they access a friend, relative or business associate’s device if you were nearby and / or communicated via the devices?
Comments
(Post edited / shortened)
https://www.digitaltrends.com/web/top-100-websites-how-are-they-tracking-you/
Years ago, my friend in Canada wanted a Yahoo.com account, but the damn computer knew he is in Canada, so insisted on trumping his wishes and offered him only yahoo.ca instead.... He called me, south of the border, and I set up the Yahoo.com account for him.
My FB account is nothing but fiction, for what that may be worth. Completely silly name. I told them I live in Beirut. Lied about my birthday. But they have no problem with it. And why did I do that? ... FB locked me out of my old account, then I created a second. They discovered that, and locked me out again. Why did they lock me out? I was in Canada, trying to sign-in. Of course, their bots are smart: they knew that a guy like me would NEVER be in Canada. Shit. So, I went with fantasy name, fantasy everything else. And it works just fine. Doink-brains.
Surely, the rest of you have established a junk-email account, too. When I run into something INSISTING on an email address, I give them THAT one. Phone? I have kept a phone number (a spoof number, showing the Area Code at my old city) of some East Indian criminal shitbags, claiming to be Microsoft Support. So, if that other website insists on a phone number, they get that one. Let them deal with each other. The rest of you are welcome to use it:
413. 427.3346.
Needless to say, I try to opt-out of all the tracking which the pigs will ALLOW me to opt out of.
Air Tag
My dad wasn’t law enforcement, but worked closely with them in the public service area and knew quite a lot. I’d say 40-50 years ago local police had this type of technology and would attach such a device to the undercarriage of vehicles they wanted to track. Solved some serious crimes, but also ran into privacy issues and court intervention.