News in Instagram robo-hacking: I just got this. I deactivated my IG about 5 yrs ago. I used to love IG when it wasnt owned by FB but now its just a dump for marketing and grifting, just what we all feared after FB bought it. I haven't attempted to log in for years. Be warned. #instagram #hacking #meta #facebook #Datasociety #youaretheproduct

I’m so glad that dealers make money selling customers’ information. But this results in scams like this one. And how ironic they’d bill themselves as the Public Safety Crime Center.

So, no, it’s isn’t harmless when companies sell our data for profit.

Nope. Nope nope nopety #NOPE!
https://arstechnica.com/google/2025/09/google-announces-massive-expansion-of-ai-features-in-chrome/

"Gemini isn't limited to your current tab. #Google aims to make it possible to interact with other apps and tabs without leaving the current screen. When you invoke #Gemini in #Chrome, it can work with the content in all your open tabs, and it has connections to Google products like Calendar and #YouTube. It can also find links in your history based on a vague remembrance."

That ‘free’ app on your phone? It’s reading your messages, tracking your location, collecting your contacts, and learning your behavior. You’re not the user—you’re the product.
#FreeAppTruth #DigitalPrivacy #SurveillanceEconomy #OnlineSafety #YouAreTheProduct
#PrivacyMatters #DataMining #TechAwareness #CyberSecurity #StormyCloudOrg

Nothing says privacy like accidentally sharing your AI chats with the whole internet. Thanks Meta AI!

#meta #ai #privacy #responsibility #nothingisforfree #youaretheproduct #takebackprivacy

To stop it, go here:

https://www.mozillafoundation.org/en/campaigns/meta-help-users-stop-accidentally-sharing-private-ai-conversations/

My employer uses Google, so I have to use it for my job. I saw this gem when logging in.

They’re now straight up asking for your home address under a nefarious guise that it somehow improves your internet life.

TECHNOLOGYVisualizing the Length of the Fine Print, for 14 Popular Apps

https://www.visualcapitalist.com/terms-of-service-visualizing-the-length-of-internet-agreements/

Für die meisten Terms Of Service der Dienste die wir nutzen, solltest du auf College - Niveau lesen können, um sie zu verstehen. Das ist ziemlich hoch. Die Grafik verdeutlicht enorm wieviel Zeit es braucht. Krass. #TOS #YouAreTheProduct #WeAreTheProduct

Meta's volgende stap, een 'Must Read'. Lees het zorgvuldig en laat even doordringen wat dit betekent. Van #Chatbot naar AI Personal Assistent #Llama4, geïntegreerd in het totale app landschap van #Meta. Zo ziet het ultieme #SurveillanceSysteem eruit, de lezers zijn gewaarschuwd. #YouAreTheProduct #MoveFastAndBreakThings

https://theconversation.com/metas-new-ai-chatbot-is-yet-another-tool-for-harvesting-data-to-potentially-sell-you-stuff-255966

If you don't pay for your social media account you can't complain about how it gets funding. Web servers are not free! #youAreTheProduct

I've never heard of surveillance pricing, but it tracks.

“Surveillance pricing analyzes massive troves of your personal information to predict the price you would be willing to pay for an item—and charge you accordingly. Retailers can charge a higher price when it thinks you can afford to spend more—on payday, for example. Or when you need something the most, such as in an emergency.”

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2024/08/fight-surveillance-pricing-we-need-privacy-first

"consent" https://www.keyo.com/biometric-news/5-reasons-why-palm-vein-scan-is-the-best-biometric #biometrics #identity #youaretheproduct

️ How social networks prey on our longing to be known
by Jan Maarten @janmaarten
#Privacy #YouAreTheProduct #SocialNetwork

https://janmaarten.com/polywork/

An app on #android that turns your torch on and off. Here's the "consent" page... Most defaulted to on. Obvs I uninstalled.

It's the #legitimateInterest options that make me laugh/cry. What possible legitimate interest is there in telling 79 vendors about me,because I wish to operate my phone's torch?

#Amazon bricks long-standing #FireTV apps with latest update
It’s not hard to see why people might want to avoid #FireOS #homescreen nor why Amazon would want to force users to see it. Like many #TV vendors, Amazon is trying to drive long-term #revenue from #TV sales by including #ads is TVs' OS, allowing Amazon to sell #ad space and insight around ad engagement. Update has made apps unable to use #Android Debug Bridge (#ADB) connections or commands.
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2024/02/amazon-bricks-long-standing-fire-tv-apps-with-latest-update/

Social media be like “you paused on that video so we’re gonna show you 15 more just like it.”

You be like “bro, I was sneezing.”

Mastodon be like “were you even here today?”

The Quiet Death of Ello’s Big Dreams
https://waxy.org/2024/01/the-quiet-death-of-ellos-big-dreams/

Remember Ello?
Ello died quietly a few months ago.
The social media site promised to put its users first.
Ello promised not be funded by selling third-party ads, not sell user data, and to bind any future company owner to the same terms. In the end, Ello broke all of its core rules. Then Ello shut-down so quickly that it didn't give its members any warning or time to get out with their user-generated content.

This article is a cautionary tale of how high ideals mean nothing when you accept VC money. At some point, the VC money dries-up and they want to collect on their debts.

Also, I think it's notable that one of the founders went on to startup a company selling NFTs / crypto, and when that collapsed, he pivoted to a new startup churning out AI garbage.