Thread · 6 tweets · 10 Dec 2018

People often think that "surveillance capitalism" is some sort of militant exaggeration from rabid privacy activists. If you're of that mind, I would like to invite you to read this from @jenvalentino, @natashanyt, @mhkeller, @aaron_krolik, and @satariano: nytimes.com/interactive/20…

Do you feel better knowing your location is only tracked several times an hour instead of continuously? How often do you change location? The root cause here is that Apple and Google simply don't care about putting you at risk of stalking. They'll tell *anyone* where you are.

The classic defence is to claim this data is "anonymous". Is it okay if I know where you live and work, who you hang out with, what time you wake up at, which doctors you go to, which gatherings you attend... but not your name?

One thing I'd like to know is how much this data costs. I suspect a lot less than you'd think. If I were into organised crime, I'd see a way of making burglary a lot more effective.

If I worked in terror... several of those yellow dots must occasionally spend a couple hours at a hotel or house without their spouse, or must visit a casino, or AA/NA… Finding targets at such a facility used to be a major surveillance op; now it's off the shelf!

I don't have funny GIFs for this thread. The situation defies alarmist characterisation. Adtech has been promising self-regulation for decades now. Who out there still believes them?