this post was submitted on 11 Jul 2023
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[–] [email protected] -4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (3 children)

Americans: we will cry foul online until we get an adequate transportation system.

Also Americans: we will cry foul online if you try to collect the data that you need to plan a transportation system.

Just one example of how phone data is useful.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Why in the world would you need phone data for that???

Nearly all existing public transportation was designed before cell phones. And there's so many better ways to get that data... In fact, I'm not sure anyone uses individually identifiable tracking to plan public transportation... It's neither necessary or even convenient for that

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/662948/utilising-mobile-network-data.pdf

74 page document about mobile phone data and transportation modeling.

Origin destination data from cell phones is useful for fairly obvious reasons.

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

Except we don't have an adequate transportation system despite all the data they keep collecting.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I can't comment on that! Just that phone data is very valuable for transportation modelling!

[–] [email protected] -3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Sure. My point is that it's irrelevant. You're acting like there's a trade off between privacy and the public good, but because the goal is profitability we get neither privacy nor public good.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

Oh I agree. My original comment was adding to the one preceeding mine, not a direct response to the article. Yes, the US needs GDPR, despite it making aspects of my job annoying I am glad it exists.

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

Unfortunately, I am the boot in this case.