Dumb phone: recommend me one, please.

[jefmcg]

Do you have a reference for this?

Employees at third-party developers were permitted to operate on real Gmail emails to improve their systems, a practice described by one former employee of third-party dev eDataSource as a "dirty secret".

 

[jefmcg]

Why are people so hung up on targeted ads?

Because it's not as benign as you seem to think it is. They use your data to build a detailed profile of who they think you are, and use to craft material designed to specifically manipulate you into actions to benefit whomever is paying them to do it. You may be happy to allow yourself to be manipulated, but many of us choose not to.

 

[swee'pea99]

Employees at third-party developers were permitted to operate on real Gmail emails to improve their systems, a practice described by one former employee of third-party dev eDataSource as a "dirty secret".

The story at that link says third parties 'operated on' emails. Which doesn't mean read. Indeed, it explicitly says further down that "If the emails were indeed being read without the author's explicit and clear consent, this would likely be unlawful under GDPR." When they say 'operated on', I'm sure what they mean is that algorithms kept track of words like 'Turkey', to send holiday ads, and 'Shimano', to send cycling-related ads. That's not reading. You may not like it, but like I say, it doesn't worry me, and I really don't understand why people get so het up about it.

 

[Pat "5mph"]

Not so, I am afraid. Google has openly admitted that it reads people's emails and that third-party app developers read people's emails.

Apart from the fact that, like @swee'pea99 correctly said, Google is not a person, email is really on the way out for communication, unless it's in work related internal networks.
Instant messaging and social network is where we post info about us, and, of course, data from our purchasing records is how "they" know what we buy.
Even, just for the sake of it, admitting Google and similar should employ a large, international, team of "real" people to daily go through a mountain of mundane drivel, would that be the efficient way to target advertise?
For every picture of cats I look at on FB I buy at least a bar of chocolate, yet, I never ever get ads anywhere about chocolate.
All my cycling mailing lists are on a Gmail address, and yet, if I log into YouTube, I very rarely get cycling ads, unless I did recently search for cycling kit to buy.
I do get a lot of cat food ads though
Google maps knows my every movement, yes, and Strava.
Maps only wants a few questions answered from time to time, which I don't mind as I too read other people reviews, Strava does not seem to do anything with my rides.
If they are shared it's my doing, not Strava's.
Btw, if one is planning to send or receive secure messages, one needs to buy a secure, encrypted messenger: yes, you need a smart phone for that.

 

[swee'pea99]

Because it's not as benign as you seem to think it is. They use your data to build a detailed profile of who they think you are, and use to craft material designed to specifically manipulate you into actions to benefit whomever is paying them to do it. You may be happy to allow yourself to be manipulated, but many of us choose not to.

But this is just emotive nonsense. Unless you consider all advertising manipulation, in which case, too bad - this is the real world, and people like to try to get people to buy what they sell. Replace manipulation with 'persuade' and suddenly it doesn't look sinister at all. And I'd suggest that persuade is much closer to the reality than manipulate. Oh, and no-one said it was benign; just harmless.

 

[Pat "5mph"]

They use your data to build a detailed profile of who they think you are, and use to craft material designed to specifically manipulate you into actions to benefit whomever is paying them to do it.

You mean impulse buying?

 

[r04DiE]

Google is not a person. How can 'it' read people's emails? Are you saying Google has 'openly admitted' that its employees read people's emails? Do you have a reference for this?

Well, it said that "The Company" reads them, take that as you will but I will be erring on the side of caution. As for third party devs, yes, they are reading the emails. And none of that matters, in light of what Google has said about Gmail and privacy (or not, if you like).

Reference here.

 

[jefmcg]

But this is just emotive nonsense. Unless you consider all advertising manipulation

Of course it is. That's not a controversial statement. I personally don't want to make their job any easier. YMMV.

Oh, and no-one said it was benign; just harmless.

 

[jefmcg]

You mean impulse buying?

Or voting for Brexit.

Edit: or against Brexit.

 

[r04DiE]

Apart from the fact that, like @swee'pea99 correctly said, Google is not a person, email is really on the way out for communication, unless it's in work related internal networks.
Instant messaging and social network is where we post info about us, and, of course, data from our purchasing records is how "they" know what we buy.
Even, just for the sake of it, admitting Google and similar should employ a large, international, team of "real" people to daily go through a mountain of mundane drivel, would that be the efficient way to target advertise?
For every picture of cats I look at on FB I buy at least a bar of chocolate, yet, I never ever get ads anywhere about chocolate.
All my cycling mailing lists are on a Gmail address, and yet, if I log into YouTube, I very rarely get cycling ads, unless I did recently search for cycling kit to buy.
I do get a lot of cat food ads though
Google maps knows my every movement, yes, and Strava.
Maps only wants a few questions answered from time to time, which I don't mind as I too read other people reviews, Strava does not seem to do anything with my rides.
If they are shared it's my doing, not Strava's.
Btw, if one is planning to send or receive secure messages, one needs to buy a secure, encrypted messenger: yes, you need a smart phone for that.

Email is on its way out? Okay, if that's what you think, but I would beg to differ. I don't think that there is any way for us to prove it one way or the other, so let's agree to differ.

All I am saying is that I do not want my emails available to anybody else, be they Google employees, Google algorithms, "The Company", or anything/one else. I cetrainly do not want ads targeted at me through information out of my personal emails. They are personal, and that is that. I certainly do not want third party app devs looking at my messages either. This stuff is private, otherwise we wouldn't have passwords on our email accounts, I want to keep mine private, from man, and machine. I do not want a profile built about me that will eventually have a decision made on it, by another human being.

If you are fine with this, fill your boots - that's all good. I myself would like to keep my private things, private.

 

[Pat "5mph"]

Or voting for Brexit.

Edit: or against Brexit.

I agree, that could be "a plan" from the powers above.
But subliminal advertising has existed long before the net, we would have to divert our eyes from billboards, tv, speeches in the park and so on to avoid be influenced in our decisions.
Long before Google family, friends, colleagues know us, can steer our politics and our purchases.
Moral of the story, imo, is to use one's brain as much as possible!

 

[classic33]

Or voting for Brexit.

Edit: or against Brexit.

So can any printed media or the spoken word. Especially if heard in passing and your views are/were the opposite.

 

[classic33]

I agree, that could be "a plan" from the powers above.
But subliminal advertising has existed long before the net, we would have to divert our eyes from billboards, tv, speeches in the park and so on to avoid be influenced in our decisions.
Long before Google family, friends, colleagues know us, can steer our politics and our purchases.
Moral of the story, imo, is to use one's brain as much as possible!

They've yet to build a computer that can match the average human brain.

 

[jefmcg]

Moral of the story, imo, is to use one's brain as much as possible!

Yes, like not consenting to give advertisers a list of every website you have ever visited.

 

[classic33]

Yes, like not consenting to give advertisers a list of every website you have ever visited.

Which is what the OP wants, stop "handing" this information out, and has been derided on this thread and elsewhere on here.

You should also avoid reviews on TripAdvisor. Easy track movements.