Do you LIKE or DISLIKE when you are DATA-MINED?

[AviatorTom]

The other day, I saw a news item about a new housing development being built nearby. I have no intention of moving, but I was curious about it, so I went to its website and looked around. The next day, I get an email asking me to make an appointment to see the model home. I ignored it.

A few weeks ago, my wife went shopping and used my credit cared (we share it, but it's in my name). A few days later, I start getting emails and text messages asking if I want to buy more of what she bought. I ignore those.

On my way to visit a friend a while back, I passed a shopping mall. I know Google tracks my cellphone, and sure enough, I started getting emails and texts from stores in the mall... that I didn't even stop at. I ignore them.

For years now, my I get coupons in the mail from my grocery store for items that I often buy, plus an occasional item I don't buy, just to get me to try it. I use the coupons for things that I want to buy, don't use the others.

This is all data mining at its finest, and just about every company does it today.

What is your experience with data mining?

Do you like it? Sometimes it can be useful.

Do you dislike it? It's invading your privacy.

Maybe you don't care, one way or another?

Or maybe you've never recognized being data-mined?

Please feel free to vote in the poll and give a comment.

I LIKE being data-mined

I DON'T LIKE being data-mined

I DON'T care if I'm data-mined

I've NEVER BEEN data-mined... at least I don't think so

Something ELSE - please tell

[RavVid]

First let me qualify I would not be happy getting emails and texts snowing my inboxes.

But I do find more limited aspects helpful. Say I watch a couple of videos on napoleonic battles in YT. I get suggestions of similar content. I do like that.

Google ads are quite stupid. I bought a balcony table and FOR A LONG TIME got ads for the same from the same company. I had one, so it was the least likely item I would buy and if I liked it enough to buy another I already knew where to get it. Annoyingly stupid.

However I have had positive benefits. So I am not totally down on it.

[on_my_knees]

So weird story. Since COVID l, I've been working from home and the bathroom is literally 5 steps away. I have to fly to San Francisco in a couple of months. So I started thinking, maybe I should get some incontinence pads just in case my bladder has been trained to think the bathroom is always 5 steps away. Didn't even say it out loud, just thought about it and they're serving me ads. Seriously what is that about?

[DizzyDesii]

Its more scary when i THINK it but haven't typed it NOR bought it and yet recommendation ads start popping up. Im like omg how is there a tracking chip inside of me, i didn't even get the jab

[GeminiDiamond]

I personally don't care. I understand business. Now if they are breaching my privacy and we have workers grabbing into the cookie jar on personal info, they're going to jail.

[nolabels]

I find both good and bad in it.
While the good can be good, the bad is so prevalent that it has gone way past being horrible.

That being said, when I use a browser like, for instance, Duck Duck Go, that doesn't data-mine (as far as I know), I really miss the online content that is fed to me by data-mining browsers and home pages that are consistent with that which I find to be of interest.
I find very few situations that give me the opportunity to give my opinion as to whether ads are relevant to my interests and none as far as the content of articles being fed to me are concerned.

I'm also not a fan of ever more laws being enacted that control media, so what can people do?

The almighty bottom line is what seems to drive such intrusion, so I don't see it ever being curtailed.

[FreyaRed]

I don't really care. Data mining makes only sense if people use real names. With all those pseudo alias accounts, IP addresses that change all 24h, browsers which delete/reset all session settings, canvas, fingerprints and cookies is data mining just a pile of data trash

[DJB72]

It's a gross invasion of privacy. I'll often go out without my phone and only use cash, stop at farm stalls and so on.

It's none of my bank's business where I spend my money. It's sure as fuck not the government's business. They work for us. Taxes are our money.

What I spend my cash on is nobody's fucking business

[NathanDavis]

I don't really care to be honest...

but the way I do use and connect to the interwebs... prevents most of the mining, so I very rarely get any email spam, robot calls... never see ads either, lol

[Anonymous]

I'm leery of it. I mean I've had it before where I was talking to someone about something. Then i started getting recommended pages and sponsored content on facebook about what we were talking about. It had me thinking "my phone has to be listening to my conversations".

[MackBoy]

Please turn off your location and don't use IPhone specially. it is safer to use Android phones because spyware is being is present installed in iPhone

[AviatorTom]

I have an Android

[dustybiker2]

Google was accused of this first, no?

[exitseven]

I try to keep it to a minimum. I delete my internet settings, disable cookies and often use an alias. Ivdo not pay bills online or use an ATM card. I do not have a transponder and up until I was forced to i did not use direct deposit.

[purplepoppy]

I get the odd targeted ad but it doesn't follow me around shops and I don't get vouchers.

[paledreams]

I love it 💗

[OlderAndWiser]

To many, it probably seems harmless, but it is one of the first steps down a very steep and slippery slope!

[PreferNot2Say]

It's extremely intrusive and needs to be outlawed immediately. We have zero privacy anymore and it's fucking riCOCKulous!

[Unit1]

I wonder what percentage of those, who voted "I DON'T LIKE being data-mined" still use social media, WhatsApp and Google services such as gmail, chrome and their cloud storage.

[strateguy632]

2nd,

[TurtlePoop]

I hate it.