this post was submitted on 23 Sep 2023
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An app in itself isn't a bad thing.. it's the requirement that is wrong. Everything these days does seem to be geared around data mining and control. That well has to be getting awfully dry because it's getting worse and worse.
You can't even use many products without having an app that needs to be connected online so it can read your contacts and searches and such. Sites are getting harder to use if you have a DNS ad blocker or VPN on. Not sure where it ends..
It ends when out corporate overlords achieve the state of life depicted in Wall-E.
No.
It ends when we eat our corporate overlords. I look forward to sprinkling Torgo's Executive Powder on my favorite dish.
I wish I could disagree with you but the path does seem pretty clear.
I can only speak from the experience of one app at one company, but data we collected was for troubleshooting. Mainly because customers will email us stuff like "your app doesn't work!!!!! Worst company ever!!" And absolutely no identifying information whatsoever. To make matters worse they'll email with an email that they didn't give us as a customer so how in the world are we supposed to help‽
So we collect enough data so whoever in the company might need to help them can actually do so.
There's a lot of "this app is impossible to use!!!" That we find out with enough data collection is just them refusing to hit the GIANT button in the middle of the damn screen that would solve their problem. I hate users.
I believe we answered questions in the Apple and Google stores that says that we collect information and send it to 3rd parties (because analytics platforms are technically 3rd party) but not to sell it. I don't know if that distinction is clear on the stores though.
I used to work in a job where we had a niche ebook reader app in the major app stores. My favorite review that someone left?
1 star, Worst game ever.
Collecting data relevant to the app is ok and logical. It's collecting unrelated personal info I gave a problem with.
And i can sympathize with you regarding users. I design control system interfaces and sometimes I go to extremes to make it good for idiots. And i still get calls at 7am, have to drop everything else and drive 40 miles just to point out the giant red ALARM text i specifically put there to make things easier. It's on the first fucking page!
It's nice that remote access is easier now but some of these facility managers... i don't know who puts their pants on for them because they don't seem to be able to navigate treacherous logic and reason.
I hope I didn't just quote your whole post, still trying to figure out boost hah