Is Artificial Intelligence swooping down on us?

[DutchmenSport]

OK, I've always been one of those who believed in the conspiracy theories: Yes, Elvis is still alive, JFK is living on an island in the Bahamas, Elvis Presley is really alive and well in Argentina!

So, I've been extremely skeptical of all this modern technology happening all around us, you know, "Serie?" "OK Google, I have a question? Do "Smart Televisions" really record the conversations occurring in your own home? If you have a Smart Refrigerator, is it recording everything in your kitchen?

Well, you all decide, but a very strange thing just happened to me.

OK, RV.net has been slow over the last several weeks, and I've been drawn into watching YouTube videos. I'm logged into my own account, and I've noticed how YouTube makes suggestions for new videos that you (or me) might find interesting, yes ... based upon your past viewing experiences.

But these two really take the cake!

My daughter and family recently moved to Hawaii. So, my wife started watching all these different shows on Netflix about Hawaii. She has her own account.

A couple days ago, I made a comment to a post where I used the word "T@B" tear drop travel trailers.

So, you know what? I'm now getting flooded with YouTube suggestions for videos on "T@B" tear drop travel trailers and videos about Hawaii.

Go figure?

And the future push is sell "Smart" RV's that are operated fully from a Smart Phone? Oh my!

[fj12ryder]

drsteve wrote:

fj12ryder wrote:
Generally the fine print says they can change the conditions of the fine print whenever they want to. So basically you just waste your time reading the fine print because it could change 5 minutes later and you'd never know it. It's not a bad idea, but it doesn't really guarantee anything, and generally arbitration is the recourse if you disagree with them at some point, and arbitration rarely favors the one with the grievance.

They can change it, but they are required to notify registered users of that fact. They send out the "Our Terms of Service have changed" email, and a link to the new terms.

Riiiiight. And if that email that notifies you of changes never gets to you, well that's certainly possible with email after all. "Hey, we sent you an email."

My point is that they hold all the cards, but if it makes you feel like you're being proactive then go for it. They're always going to be at least 5 steps ahead of you, and the only way to save what little is left of your privacy is completely forego the internet and stick to faxes.

[2oldman]

Hell, I wish the HIPAA laws were changed to allow my medical records to be shared. That way I wouldn't have to fill out 5 pages of paper forms every time I visit a new clinic, describing my ailments since 1st grade. As if my memory is a sufficient source of information.

I can't even get an email frickin' bill from a doctor. That's just silly.

[drsteve]

fj12ryder wrote:
Generally the fine print says they can change the conditions of the fine print whenever they want to. So basically you just waste your time reading the fine print because it could change 5 minutes later and you'd never know it. It's not a bad idea, but it doesn't really guarantee anything, and generally arbitration is the recourse if you disagree with them at some point, and arbitration rarely favors the one with the grievance.

They can change it, but they are required to notify registered users of that fact. They send out the "Our Terms of Service have changed" email, and a link to the new terms.

[toedtoes]

fj12ryder wrote:
Generally the fine print says they can change the conditions of the fine print whenever they want to. So basically you just waste your time reading the fine print because it could change 5 minutes later and you'd never know it. It's not a bad idea, but it doesn't really guarantee anything, and generally arbitration is the recourse if you disagree with them at some point, and arbitration rarely favors the one with the grievance.

It's never a waste of time. If I don't agree with the TOC, then I can choose not to accept. If they then change it, it won't hurt me because I already declined.

If the TOC is updated, then I read the changes and choose whether to accept the new terms or not.

The idea that it is a waste of time suggests that one must accept the TOC because they must use that website. I am quite capable of walking away (or clicking the website closed).

[fj12ryder]

Generally the fine print says they can change the conditions of the fine print whenever they want to. So basically you just waste your time reading the fine print because it could change 5 minutes later and you'd never know it. It's not a bad idea, but it doesn't really guarantee anything, and generally arbitration is the recourse if you disagree with them at some point, and arbitration rarely favors the one with the grievance.

[toedtoes]

AsheGuy wrote:

toedtoes wrote:

Read TOCs carefully so that I know what I am agreeing to when signing up on websites, contests, social media, etc.

Wow! It's amazing you have time for anything else if you do that. 🙂

If I don't have time to read it, I don't agree to it. I learned the hard way when I signed up for a photo critiquing site - the website owner claimed forever rights to every photo posted for any purpose. There was no legitimate reason for such a condition. From that day on, I read the fine print.

[AsheGuy]

toedtoes wrote:

Read TOCs carefully so that I know what I am agreeing to when signing up on websites, contests, social media, etc.

Wow! It's amazing you have time for anything else if you do that. 🙂

[toedtoes]

I do several things:

Support my representatives who fight to protect my privacy;

Don't support companies that have a known history of improperly using personal information or have a known history of improperly sharing that information and/or working to gain more and more information;

Don't use my real name or identifiers on forums and social media or other websites;

Read TOCs carefully so that I know what I am agreeing to when signing up on websites, contests, social media, etc.


Yes!! Let's hope it keeps a positive path!

[2oldman]

toedtoes wrote:
I think ignoring the info tracked by companies and/or accepting it as OK is a disaster waiting to happen.

Ok, what are you going to do, or are doing, about it? I find traveling about and never being very specific about where I am works for me.

Wow.. Dow up a grand today!! woo hoo Suppose the prez backing off had anything to do with it?? 🙂

[toedtoes]

I am definitely not one to live my life in fear.

However, I think ignoring the info tracked by companies and/or accepting it as OK is a disaster waiting to happen. As such, I will speak out about it rather than ignore it. But I was raised to believe that a right to privacy is tantamount to living in a "great country".

I absolutely agree with your last statement! I am always amazed at the lack of concern about a person's own information. For example, I have seen:

1. The wife of a man accused of molesting a student posting details of the situation on a forum (similar but not this one) - when suggested that she cease because what she posts can be used against him, she got extremely mad at us for "not caring".

2. An employee having confidential medical records emailed to her work email address (which was read by her employers and was instrumental in getting her fired and arrested for fraud).

And so many more. Just identifying your family with ages in your signature here can provide enough information for someone to identify you. And having had a crazy family (they believed the husband's body had been taken over by an alien and were trying to start a new religion) stalk several people on a forum and threaten to do bodily harm to them. That they lived within 90 miles of me made me very glad none of my personal information was out there for them to find me.

To put a slightly different spin on things, if Sara Conner had posted on FB, the Terminator would have won.

[RedRocket204]

toedtoes wrote:

RedRocket204 wrote:
My comment was primarily sarcasm... except for the part about the advertising. Unless you're doing crime, I seriously doubt there is much interest in the rest of your lives... again, except for the advertising piece.

But isn't that enough?

And isn't the fact that if they decide you are of interest sometime in the future that they can go back and pull years of information on you, a bit extreme?

I don't live my life in fear that somebody is always tracking or watching me. Granted, we live in a great country where those fears are generally not warranted compared to some other places around the world. Sure, some of you can point the finger at me saying I live with my head in the sand but I'll just shake my head and laugh. I recently resigned from a job working at one of these companies some of you are pointing the finger at claiming mild to complete paranoia about tracking and again, I'll just laugh. Yes, information regarding advertising is big money and that data is being collected, but other than that... well, I've already said what I know and believe.

For others who are really concerned about your data being tracked... stop posting every little piece of information about your lives for the world to see. That information will be forever. But if that information is not information that is out there, then...

[T18skyguy]

The Tinfoil Hat monthly. Edited by Chicken Little.

FJ12, we all have to decide what bird we want to be. I'll take the Chicken Little, but you gotta take the Ostrich:) If Facebook gets into our banking data, the next shoe to drop will be a major hack(Russkie's or Chinese), on them(again), then there's havoc in the banking system. Our money is not as safe as you might think. If there were a banking collapse, the FDIC has only enough funds to cover 2-3% of total deposits in the US. The system runs and depends on only confidence.

[toedtoes]

I disagree. I think they have a great potential for being bad.

They say it will be opt in - but FB has not been real honest in the past...

One article I read said it was so FB could have you message your bank "instead of calling and being put on hold". Not sure why using your bank's secure messaging system isn't a viable option.

Whatever their reason, giving access to your financial data to a company like FB is not a smart action.

Hopefully it won't go anywhere - I suspect it's been put on hold due to the Russian-FB scandal. Once people forget that, it will be back up for approval.

[2oldman]

I couldn't read the Times article, but others don't actually say it's about marketing... that's what I saw. And I believe it's "opt in." But since this is from August, I guess it's not going anywhere.

toedtoes wrote:
.. but unfortunately this stuff is real. And the public lets it happen because of the "let them have my info, I've got nothing to hide" attitude.

I don't presume that these things are bad.