this post was submitted on 23 Sep 2023
1929 points (98.8% liked)

Technology

58303 readers
9 users here now

This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.


Our Rules


  1. Follow the lemmy.world rules.
  2. Only tech related content.
  3. Be excellent to each another!
  4. Mod approved content bots can post up to 10 articles per day.
  5. Threads asking for personal tech support may be deleted.
  6. Politics threads may be removed.
  7. No memes allowed as posts, OK to post as comments.
  8. Only approved bots from the list below, to ask if your bot can be added please contact us.
  9. Check for duplicates before posting, duplicates may be removed

Approved Bots


founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
 

I have recently started a new position and am required to use an app that has three Facebook trackers, one of them being a Facebook location tracker according to Exodus App Privacy in order to get your food when it would literally work perfectly fine ordering to a real cashier or shit even a website rather than having to download an app.

I have also read many stories of people that live in apartments that require them to use a mobile app for god damn LAUNDRY. All you need, is a card reader, and it will work perfectly fine like it has been for the longest time.

Privacy concerns aside, it is just annoying that you need this app and that app and this app and that app and it just clutters space on your phone. Security concerns too as now they have all of this additional info on you online, such as your phone number your email your real name, instead of just your credit card info like a card reader would have. And I am willing to guarantee that their security model is absolute horseshit because they have such a small team of engineers working on the app and the servers.

Literal enshitification

Magne

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] [email protected] 13 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

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.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 year ago

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.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago

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