Apps and information

[SpringHeeledJack]

Twitter to snoop on every app on your phone - Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/twitter/11256808/Twitter-to-snoop-on-every-app-on-your-phone.html)

I should state that I don't own a smart phone or tablet and am a confirmed luddite :hmm: but I'm concerned that through no effort on my behalf, my personal information is being siphoned off by commercial enterprises through others.The above link is about Twitter's plans and might not include detailed info, but it would seem that a good few others gain legal access to detailed info from the address books of those who sign up. Yes there is Caveat Emptor in such matters, but how legal is it to use information gained from someone who might not have the right to divulge said info to others ? A friend is on What's App and loves the simple immediacy of it's function and unfortunately (for me) he is a thorough character and not only has address, phone, email and D.O.B in his address book…..All this has now been passed onto whomever for whatever purposes. I realise that some might feel that it matters not a jot as I'm just a tiny cog amongst others, but for me private is private (whatever that means these days!).


SHJ

[mixture]

SpringHeeledJack,

What you are saying nothing new my dear !

All those "social media" and "free service" companies that provide all manner of services for free (e.g. Google, Twitter, FarceBook, LinkedIn) .... all have to make money somehow to pay for all those coders and all those servers ... that somehow is advertising .... and in order to tempt advertisers they need to be able to provide "highly targeted advertising opportunities" .... which of course, in other words, means scalping as much personal information off their users as they are willing to encroach into that legal grey area.....

There's no such thing as a free lunch as they say.... or free email, or free social media....

[SpringHeeledJack]

"Calm down dear, it's only an App!" to paraphrase Michael Winner :} I'm aware that if you're not paying for a service then you're the product, and that the money has to come from somewhere once the venture capitalists start turning the screws to get some return on their investment.

My issue is the mining of personal information that is not that of the person agreeing to be mined as it were. If I were to agree that to use a service my information might be used to receive targeted advertising, then all well and good, but what of all else ? Business phones do contain information that is confidential and proprietorial to that company/industry, yet within limits that is up for grabs as well, it would seem :ouch:


SHJ

[Booglebox]

And people mock me for paying for email :8