this post was submitted on 09 Jun 2024
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Privacy

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The carrier on Friday said it launched a media platform to serve travelers personalized advertisements on seat-back screens and in its app, among other platforms, as it seeks to leverage customer data.

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[–] [email protected] 174 points 5 months ago (3 children)

Ads themselves are an insult considering the cost of travel. But they’re insulting us all over the place on shit we pay for.

But personalized ads in view of strangers is full-on absurdly an insult to privacy. Get bent, I hope someone finds a way to display the guitar video and song for the whole plane.

[–] [email protected] 48 points 5 months ago (1 children)

I was just pumping gas the other day, and while I'm at it there's this cellphone speaker music that starts really loudly, like the phone is at 400% audio.

Motherfucking screen started playing an ad I couldn't skip. Soon theyre just going to loop audible ads everywhere we go, in public spaces.

Since then I've avoided this brand of gas station and affiliates, but I won't be able to hide for long.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 5 months ago (1 children)

you can press one of the buttons, if it's one of those with the eight buttons (4 on each side of the screen. for me it was the second button down from the top on the right side. i only had to press it once to mute, but i heard u might have to press up to 4 times

[–] refalo 18 points 5 months ago

doesn't always work unfortunately

[–] [email protected] 42 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Or worse, how about some horny singles in my area with moans for the whole plane to hear

[–] [email protected] 38 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (1 children)

As you traverse the continent, the same “single” appears looking for love in every town you fly over.

Edit: then you’re over Nevada and ads switch to “Welcome back! We missed you at Bobs Brothel and Budget Backrubs, swing on by for our returning members discount.”

[–] [email protected] 11 points 5 months ago (2 children)

Yeah that would suck. Also how much is that discount?

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[–] [email protected] 53 points 5 months ago (2 children)

Oh good. Because if there's a profile of my advertising preferences out there, it knows that when I am forced to view an ad, I look away from the screen, turn off the volume, sigh dramatically, and say "Fuck right in the ass."

Personalize away.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 5 months ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 31 points 5 months ago (1 children)

I work for a company that does marketing, and they are seriously struggling right now because TV and Social media ads are getting more expensive, while at the same time becoming less effective.

Yes. This is true.

Because ads suck and people hate them. Whats the new way? Be good at what you do so people talk about your brand. Show up in searches when I'm looking for you. That's it.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Astonishing! Who would have thought that be the case? Actually doing the work instead of paying your way to success? That cant be correct! /s

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[–] [email protected] 49 points 5 months ago

This is why you bring tape and a few pieces of paper in your carry-on

[–] [email protected] 40 points 5 months ago (6 children)

This article is short on details but what I really want to know is WHERE is that data coming from and how the fuck does United have access to it?! Also, a follow-up question would be how does one ensure they don't get access to that data? Is that even possible anymore?

[–] [email protected] 26 points 5 months ago (1 children)

The "media network" is https://kinectivemedia.com/ and they have a link for US customers to opt out that leads to here https://uniteddigital.iad1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_88OQmAbr20oeHn8 but of course you're going to want to also read Qualtrics privacy policy before using their services https://www.qualtrics.com/privacy-statement/

Clicking https://kinectivemedia.com/ privacy policy links to https://www.united.com/en/us/fly/customer-data-privacy-policy.html

They collect the usual stuff you use for travel like name, address, payment details, biometrics, I.D etc and also

Information collected in your use of our mobile application(s) includes, but is not limited to:

  • With your consent, your pinpointed physical location information from technologies like GPS, Wi-Fi, or cell tower proximity (geo-location tracking)
  • With your consent, while at or near certain airports in the U.S., your pinpointed physical location will be tracked continuously to provide you location-based offers, services and other information. For more information, see the Location Services FAQ located on the side menu of the United App;
  • Your domain name;
  • Device ID or alternative ID where required by the platform provider;
  • Electronic data concerning operating systems and computing devices/browser, including types;
  • Features you use and links you click;
  • Amount of time spent in the application;
  • Installs and uninstalls;
  • Transaction details and history.

We may combine this information with information that we already have collected about you.

We collect information about you from third parties. If you make a reservation through a travel agent, we will obtain your travel information from that agent. We may also obtain information about you from our marketing partners, advertisers and other third parties.

We primarily use your information, including personal information, to provide our services to you and to fulfill your requests. In certain circumstances, such as for advertising purposes, we combine your information with other information that we have about you, that is publicly available and/or that we have obtained from third parties (either individually or in the aggregate)

We also use your information for the following purposes:

For marketing and advertising. United uses your information, consistent with applicable law, individually, in the aggregate, and/or combined with demographic information that we maintain or collect from third parties, for marketing and advertising purposes (via email, direct mail, telephone, web or other electronic advertising) and to send you news and newsletters. Specifically, information that we collect about you may be used to send you email, direct mail, or telephone communications about offers from United, its partners or other third parties, that might be of interest to you (please see the section on Disclosing your information below and the section on Changing your marketing preferences below). We also use your information to determine appropriate advertising channels and venues and to place ads on such channels and venues, including placing advertising on social networking sites.

I'm sure the money they make from this will subsidies flight costs that will be passed on to the end user for cheaper flight!

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[–] [email protected] 15 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

I think they can retain customers' past flight records and maybe list of media played in flights. That said it's almost guaranteed some ad marketing corpo is behind, and EULA is always vague enough to allow sharing external party...

[–] [email protected] 15 points 5 months ago

Data brokers sell the info. Its hardly private

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[–] [email protected] 36 points 5 months ago (4 children)

We need augmented reality glasses with uBlock Origin now more them ever. Fuck United Airlines and the ad-riddled plane they flew in on.

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[–] [email protected] 32 points 5 months ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 13 points 5 months ago

That sort of thing’s not my bag, baby!

[–] [email protected] 31 points 5 months ago (6 children)

A couple years ago I paid what I felt was quite a bit of money for good seats on a plane. Then they started playing ads on the screen in front of me during take off. There was no way to turn off the screen and it literally felt like this screen was being thrust my face that I had no co trol over. Airline is the worst way to travel and they are only going to get more predatory.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 5 months ago

Post-it notes. One pack is enough for like a third of the plane.

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[–] [email protected] 24 points 5 months ago (3 children)

WTF man, I pay for the tickets and now I have to watch ads???

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[–] [email protected] 23 points 5 months ago (1 children)

ability to reach engaged customers

Not sure that being stuck to a spot in a tube you can't just escape (and easily live) from is the same as "engaged".

[–] [email protected] 9 points 5 months ago

not flying united anymore, thanks for the tip

[–] [email protected] 18 points 5 months ago
[–] [email protected] 18 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

"unfortunately your In-Flight Engagement Actions ™️ did not meet the requirements to qualify you for in flight perks such as entertainment and meals"

"Please ensure you are looking directly at the screen while ads are playing to accumulate In-Flight Engagement Actions ™️"

Coming soon to an airline near you.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 5 months ago (5 children)

But how can they access a passenger's digital profile?

[–] [email protected] 34 points 5 months ago (2 children)

Oh please. It's 2024, and you're still wondering how a company knows who you are? The plane knows who is sitting on which seat, unless you change seats, and the airline has, at least: you email, your credit card, name, address, gender, age, nacionality, origin and destination. From there, they can ask a number of data brokers for more information like purchase habits, health, wheather you have children, your field of work, etc etc. Even if it's one's of those flights without assigned seats, there are cameras in the cabin. It would be pretty easy to face ID who is sitting where.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 5 months ago (3 children)

That's what I wanted to know. Well total surveillance is slowly becoming a thing. Having multiple digital identities and using privacy-respecting services makes more and more sense every day

[–] [email protected] 13 points 5 months ago (1 children)

The problem is that you can't fly anonymous. They will always know exactly who you are. But yeah, you can at least try to limit the information on you, but still.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 5 months ago (3 children)

I believe you can use your "official identity" only for stuff that requires identification (like border crossing, business and flights) and create another one for general internet usage and stuff like that. It's much harder in countries that require ID to buy a SIM card though

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[–] [email protected] 20 points 5 months ago (2 children)

Last time I had my phone plugged in to charge it, I noticed that it wasn't on charge mode exclusively, but it was actually on File Share Mode.

Now I don't know if the airplane was able to instigate that connection mode, or why my phone was on that mode, but it did concern me incredibly that they were able to browse the files on my phone, when I just wanted it to charge.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 5 months ago

That's why you should use "usb condom" when charing your phone from untrusted power source.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 5 months ago (2 children)

Well that is obvious. Btw many phones have file share mode as the default now. Make sure you change it. But how about other cases? I don't really understand. Are digital profiles officially tied to the ID and plane tickets now?

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[–] [email protected] 16 points 5 months ago (1 children)

They know your name. That's usually enough.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 5 months ago

And your email, identity document, photo, payment method... lots of fun data points to boil it down to a demographic of one person.

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[–] [email protected] 16 points 5 months ago

All I can say...

Booooooo!

[–] [email protected] 15 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

Ads for replacements for items in your luggage they broke?

The whole experience sounds like an ad for Greyhound or Amtrak.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 5 months ago (2 children)

I'm going to bring tape and construction paper to cover it up. Double sided sticky tape

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[–] [email protected] 11 points 5 months ago

welp time to carry 100ml black spray paint

[–] [email protected] 10 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

I’ll fuckin scratch the screen with my keys

[–] [email protected] 8 points 5 months ago

Phones play movies. If they make the seatback system annoying then people will just stop using it and download movies from Netflix or wherever

[–] [email protected] 8 points 5 months ago (1 children)

When you fly on Air Canada there’s a unmutable ad for the Alberta oil sands right after the safety announcement before takeoff. It’s surreal enough, but it’ll be so much worse when they start doing this kind of shit too.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 5 months ago

Your next flight, a minimum of 22 minutes of uninterrupted flying time during every hour in the air!

[–] [email protected] 7 points 5 months ago (1 children)

And now I will never fly United again. Time to move on

[–] [email protected] 7 points 5 months ago (1 children)

I bet soon more airlines will follow. Our cars are no different either. No much options left for traveling.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 5 months ago (1 children)

I will not travel then. I refuse to be violated.

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