this post was submitted on 05 Jun 2024
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A Boring Dystopia

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If they were interested in my location they could request location data. What are the odds they are doing this to directly market products to people based on health data?

Inb4 “They already do that based on what you regularly purchase”

Of course, yes they do. This appears to be one more layer on top of it. And surely they wouldn’t share that information with the pharmacy, right?

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[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 months ago
[–] [email protected] 10 points 3 months ago (3 children)

This is specifically the permission to track your movement, not your BMI or other health data. It's to turn your iPhone into a step counter. Probably something they use when you are in the store to help you find items?

Weird how everyone is being upset at this and didn't check what this permission does before piling on.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 months ago (1 children)

This comment feels pretty derogatory to me. We know that, and if you had bothered to read the thread before coming in and making assumptions you’d have seen that. You’re missing the point. An enormous amount of information can be inferred by knowing your activity and fitness levels. This guy is on his feet 14 hours a day? Here’s a coupon for some shoe inserts. This guy spent 5 minutes pacing back and forth down the candy isle and didn’t buy anything? We need to give him a nudge to make that purchase. This person does yoga every morning and only buys organic produce? Well, they probably don’t shop at Jewel honestly but hey did you know we carry aluminum free deodorant in the health department? Your motion and fitness data can absolutely be used to infer a general level of healthiness, which is often times (and often incorrectly) also summarized as your BMI.

It was also wisely mentioned elsewhere in the thread that targeting advertising is only the tip of the iceberg as far as what can be done with the profiles these companies build about us. But none of that exactly fits very well into a title for a post.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 3 months ago

An enormous amount of information can be inferred by knowing your activity and fitness levels.

No, it's just step count and elevation, to provide more accurate details about your workout.

So you're making shit up to be upset about and can't even be bothered to look up what it means, but the real problem is me being derogatory. Got it.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 months ago

Because people need something to be enraged about 24/7. That doesn't mean that there isn't plenty out there to be frustrated or upset about, but it's just one more thing to add to the pile.

Also, fact checking. Nah let's just scream into the void about stuff we know nothing about nor can we be bothered to actually check what is happening.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 months ago

The walmart app does this. If im in a store and want to find what isle it's in, I'll pull it up, and it'll know what store I'm in.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 3 months ago

Some people are in for a rude awakening if they think that the slight nuisance of "being shown targeted ads" is the biggest issue with dragnet data collection.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 3 months ago

I would delete the app just because they tried

[–] [email protected] 12 points 3 months ago

"Hey fatty, come get your icecream you big fat fuck. We reduced it by a dollar so get ten of them and eat until you feel sick, you disgusting whale."

[–] [email protected] 6 points 3 months ago

this is why you don't put apps like that on your phone

[–] [email protected] 11 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Inb4 “They already do that based on what you regularly purchase”

People who make this argument piss me off so much. Yeah, my privacy is already almost entirely eroded away. Why on Earth would I decide to let the rest of it go? Sure, Google knows where I live. I guess that's good enough reason to tell you motherfuckers that my address is 7473 W 47th St S, Wichita, KS, 67215. I mean if the data is already out there, what point is there in trying to obfuscate it?

[–] [email protected] 9 points 3 months ago

7473 W 47th St S, Wichita, KS, 67215.

Thanks for sharing. Looks like you live in a pretty dry place with few neighbours?

[–] [email protected] 14 points 3 months ago

I so quickly and naturally clicked "Don't allow" on my screen and realized a second later that this was a post. I think that's more of a bad thing than a good thing.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 3 months ago (2 children)

Surge pricing. If your BMI is high they charge more for Pringles.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

Don’t even suggest it. /s

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 months ago

Or maybe less because you will buy in bulk.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 3 months ago (2 children)

Is it so that if you're fat they can send you ads for sugary snacks? Cause they know you can't resist. Healthy people get veggie ads, unhealthy people get snacks.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 months ago

Gotta know your whales.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 months ago
[–] [email protected] 23 points 3 months ago (2 children)

I think the reason is likely their "Sincerly Health" program. Why anyone would trust their grocery store with any of their Health Data is beyond me though.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Lots of grocery stores have pharmacies. I wonder if health data collected through the app would be protected by HIPPA...

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 months ago (1 children)

At least the pharmacies in our grocery stores are separate companies and usually just outside the store.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 months ago (1 children)

The ones I'm thinking of are inside the store and owned by the same corporation.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Do you pay in a different place? If so I would guess it's technically a different company.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 months ago (1 children)

The pharmacy can ring up anything from the grocery store. And you can pay for OTC drugs at the grocery checkout instead of the pharmacy checkout. It's the same store...

[–] [email protected] 0 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (1 children)

Okay but do OTC drugs handle HIPPA data? I thought that was only prescription drugs.

If that is indeed the case then why are you bringing up OTC drugs?

[–] [email protected] 0 points 3 months ago (1 children)

I brought up OTC drugs to help make my point that the pharmacy and grocery store are the same.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 months ago (1 children)

I brought up prescription drugs to help make my point that they probably aren't.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 months ago

Pretty arrogant to assume they're different companies when you don't even know what stores I'm talking about...

Here's an example of a grocery chain/pharmacy company: https://www.kroger.com/health/pharmacy

They even have gas stations. Costco is another example, but they do a lot more than groceries (automotive work, etc). Not sure why you think one store can't offer multiple services?

[–] [email protected] 9 points 3 months ago (1 children)

An error message is displayed which tells the user that error 16 occurred - they have been blocked by the sites security service

Apparently they consider me a security risk. Can't fault them, to be honest.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 3 months ago (1 children)

I guess Jewel Osco is not into vegan cheesecake. A shame, because I think you're delicious!

[–] [email protected] 4 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Thanks, darling. Though I gotta admit I had some pretty mediocre versions of, well, me, so I guess I'm hit or miss.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 3 months ago

Everyone has the potential for improvement and you're just getting better with time <3

[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 months ago

i nearly pressed allow when i saw this

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