Guess I don't understand how data is determined . Do company's have a limited source of data. How is data made, yeah I know a dumb question? Can they run out of data?Where is it kept? Is data a renewable resource? Or are just company's keeping us hostage over data.

Here, let me make this simple. This should explain it for you. Hope this helps.

Inside the cable companies are large rooms like this COMCAST regional distribution center google photo shows where regional video, high speed data and voice are piped out to customers all over the country. The companies wireless distribution is only as good as the number of towers it has dispersed over their regions.The more folks like us down streaming high volume of available data slows down the system big time. my take on it anyway...Roy Ken

Think of data as a file folder that a company kept long ago. Every interaction with you was referenced in that folder. Now... the existence of computers means that information is collected automatically because, once a programmer writes the program to collect it, it gets collected without further human interaction. Back in the old days, the only info kept was what was important enough to justify the human labor it took to collect and record it. That limitation no longer exists. Now, the only limitation on data is storage... and, generally, any piece of information that can be acquired is worth more than the cost of storage. When you think of hundreds or thousands of data points collected by one company or group of companies, you now know they can build a profile about you. Taken out to the extreme, they know enough about you to market to you in ways that you really haven't thought about. That sounds crazy, I know, but that's what happens when you carry the logical compilation of information out to the extreme. In theory, enough compiled data points may predict what you're going to do before you do it. And because the info is valuable (while the storage is relatively cheap), there is no reason for them not to.Note: A "data point" is a tidbit of info. Your address is a data point. The fact that you buy blue underwear is a data point. Every little tidbit... thousands of them... can then be shared among "partner" companies and compiled into a fairly exact picture.Edit added: And that's just the beginning. Add, on top of that, government with unlimited resources because they can, continuously, borrow and spend more than they have... as a layer on top of all of the above. At this point, one would have to be fairly (very?) sophisticated to go off-grid. I'm beginning to think it's no longer possible.

blangen wrote:Think of data as a file folder that a company kept long ago. Every interaction with you was referenced in that folder. Now... the existence of computers means that information is collected automatically because, once a programmer writes the program to collect it, it gets collected without further human interaction. Back in the old days, the only info kept was what was important enough to justify the human labor it took to collect and record it. That limitation no longer exists. Now, the only limitation on data is storage... and, generally, any piece of information that can be acquired is worth more than the cost of storage. When you think of hundreds or thousands of data points collected by one company or group of companies, you now know they can build a profile about you. Taken out to the extreme, they know enough about you to market to you in ways that you really haven't thought about. That sounds crazy, I know, but that's what happens when you carry the logical compilation of information out to the extreme. In theory, enough compiled data points may predict what you're going to do before you do it. And because the info is valuable (while the storage is relatively cheap), there is no reason for them not to.Note: A "data point" is a tidbit of info. Your address is a data point. The fact that you buy blue underwear is a data point. Every little tidbit... thousands of them... can then be shared among "partner" companies and compiled into a fairly exact picture.Pay with cash and don't use store "valued customer" cards.DW doesn't even know what I plan to do.

Data question | Good Sam Community

35 Replies

FlatBroke
Explorer II
Oct 05, 2014
MrWizard wrote:
funny OP

data "traffic" on your cell device is just that
traffic..stuff sent back and forth
your data limit,,, is the amount of allowed traffic you have contracted for
it is the max you may "transact" without extra fee
it can not be saved up to use in another month..i know more to pity
it does not ROLL OVER ..like some cell phone minutes do

Oops! Tracfone minutes, text and data rolls over.

No edit..
MrWizard
Moderator
Oct 05, 2014
funny OP

data "traffic" on your cell device is just that
traffic..stuff sent back and forth
your data limit,,, is the amount of allowed traffic you have contracted for
it is the max you may "transact" without extra fee
it can not be saved up to use in another month..i know more to pity
it does not ROLL OVER ..like some cell phone minutes do
kcmoedoe
Explorer
Oct 05, 2014
Now that your question is a little more clear, there is no way to donate, sell or otherwise capture your monthly unused data allowance on your mobile device. I suppose you could put a sign in your window that you will allow people to have access to your MIFI in exchange for a fee. Then all you would have to worry about is how much over your data limit some guy ran up downloading his child porn. You will probably only keep that "data available" sign in the window until the first bill comes. Then when the feds catch that child pornographer and notice he used your internet connection to disseminate those illegal images in exchange for a fee you might just get a him as a cellmate at club fed, so be sure he is a guy you can get along with long term.
LittleBill
Explorer
Oct 05, 2014
i will give my spin of the OPS question.

think of the internet as a city. think of verizon,comcast,att. as the road builders and owners.

when you purchase a plan from them, you are buying time lets say in a taxi. you use the taxi (or ISP,verizon etc) to get to different parts of the city. they allow you to take so much stuff with you per month through the city (internet). some days you may need 1 taxi or 3 taxis(movie download) to get through.

well those 3 taxi's now can't be used for other customers, and the road now has 3 taxi's on it. so for the ISP to expand they need more taxi's and sometimes more/ bigger roads.

if you decide not to use the taxi that day, the taxi just sits idle for someone else. if no one uses it, it doesn't go anywhere, thus there is no build up since nothing in a sense is being used.

hope that helped a bit. in a single word ISP's provide you transportation through the internet, how much you move is what you get billed on
LittleBill
Explorer
Oct 05, 2014
blangen wrote:
ChopperBill wrote:
Seriously, how can the unused data for use on my phone have anything on it. Why can't someone else use it. It can be used for movies, photos, music and whatever. It costs a small fortune to buy it so there must be some use for it. Mine is just going to waste. Don't think there is an answer.

Actually, there IS an answer. There are sites where you can donate computer time... thereby using that unused data plan. SETI, for example, looks for extra-terrestrial life. Mining bit coins is another use for an unused data pipe... but I'm not the one to expound on that.

actually this is NOT the answer. the data download is rather small, these sites are looking for CPU processing power, not bandwidth
blangen
Explorer
Oct 05, 2014
ChopperBill wrote:
Seriously, how can the unused data for use on my phone have anything on it. Why can't someone else use it. It can be used for movies, photos, music and whatever. It costs a small fortune to buy it so there must be some use for it. Mine is just going to waste. Don't think there is an answer.

Actually, there IS an answer. There are sites where you can donate computer time... thereby using that unused data plan. SETI, for example, looks for extra-terrestrial life. Mining bit coins is another use for an unused data pipe... but I'm not the one to expound on that.
FlatBroke
Explorer II
Oct 05, 2014
Seriously, how can the unused data for use on my phone have anything on it. Why can't someone else use it. It can be used for movies, photos, music and whatever. It costs a small fortune to buy it so there must be some use for it. Mine is just going to waste. Don't think there is an answer.
blangen
Explorer
Oct 05, 2014
DutchmenSport wrote:

Do you have any idea how much "data" RV.net has on YOU! Just think about all the comments you make on this web site. If someone really wanted to, they could go back and search your previous posts, compile a bunch of information and know quite a bit about you! That's what various companies do with all the "data!"

Actually, I believe... even today, if you pop up on the radar of someone having an interest (IRS, DHS, who knows?), it would be pretty simple to build a rather complete psychological profile on someone just through long-term computer usage info. Do they really know what to do with it today? Maybe not. Tomorrow is another day. It was a mere couple of decades ago when all this began. Who knows what tomorrow brings.
blangen
Explorer
Oct 05, 2014
DutchmenSport wrote:
"Data" is anything you do that is stored somewhere! And from the minute you're born till a million years after you die, that data will continue to be stored somewhere!

Well... until a few EMPs wipe the slate clean. LOL

I would like for someone to tell me that, behind the scenes, the powers that be have actually hardened our infrastructure to protect against them... but I'm pretty sure they'd be fibbing. Any reason to believe otherwise?
DutchmenSport
Explorer
Oct 05, 2014
You can sell YOUR unused data if you want, give it away, or whatever. Someone wanting to steal your identity and wipe out your life's savings would gladly pay you for it. The only "Data" I care to share is this one, and anyone who wants it can go out and buy the DVD or log into Netflix!

"Data" is anything you do that is stored somewhere! And from the minute you're born till a million years after you die, that data will continue to be stored somewhere!

Edit? Do you have any idea how much "data" RV.net has on YOU! Just think about all the comments you make on this web site. If someone really wanted to, they could go back and search your previous posts, compile a bunch of information and know quite a bit about you! That's what various companies do with all the "data!" Only in the USA, they compile that stuff so they can target you for advertising purposes, send you a bunch of stuff in the mail, or flash marketing suggestions on your computer screen based upon your responses, searches, and even photos posted to various web sites. Their goal is for you to purchase their products and part you from your money. Now, dishonest "thieves" who want to steal your identity, just want your money. Once they wipe you out, they don't necessarily want your repeat business.

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