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I sort of wonder about that, too -- it's not well reflected in their privacy policy.[0]

An altruistic guess -- maybe another way for them to achieve geolocation if other methods are hindered?

[0]: https://terms.threads.com/privacy-policy



That's a huge dose of benefit of the doubt you're giving to the Zuck. Do you for a second believe that granting the Zuck access to your Health & Fitness data that he will stop at just getting the information to geolocate you or would it be more like "let's just suck in all of the data we are given access to and then maybe at a later date we can use it beyond what we originally needed"?


I have an iPhone, I can see which apps access Health & Fitness data, and must in fact explicitly give apps access to that data. Threads does not have access to that data and I can not even find some way to get it to ask me to access that data.

So what are we really talking about here?


> So what are we really talking about here?

The very first thing in the listing for the app in the AppStore. Why are you so obtuse to this?

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/threads-an-instagram-app/id644...

DATA LINKED TO YOU The following data may be collected and linked to your identity:

Health & Fitness Purchases Financial Info Location Contact Info Contacts User Content Search History Browsing History Identifiers Usage Data Sensitive Info Diagnostics Other Data


When you read "data linked to you" don't think about the store of health data that's *on your phone.£

Think instead of all the data that all huge number of advertising networks, like the one paying qz.com's bills, that have massive hoards of data about you, without your consent, that gets bought and sold every single day.

This is not a trivial distinction! The health data on an iPhone is secure, and Threads is not getting access to it. What this is talking about is Threads linking up with all the data that all the other advertisers are already doing!

I deleted my Facebook account circa 2012 when I heard what some of their ML engineers were up to at a casual meet up, like geolocation all photos and and doing facial recognition to place which bars everyone had been in over the weekend. Back then, before the deep learning revolution, this was a mind-blowing capability. These days, I have no idea what ad networks are up to but rest assured, by getting all of HN to load the ads that are served from qz.com the advertisers have now gained far more than they did when I installed Threads (because I already have an instagram account and that does all these same things. Five years after deleting my Facebook account I was ready to give in because the rest of the networks had the data anyway).


> Five years after deleting my Facebook account I was ready to give in

Because you became weak and caved does not mean the rest of have to give in as well. I have never created an IG account, nor will I be using Threads. I abhor Meta, and will never allow their apps to be installed on my devices. Your cavalier attitude about your data is your business, and my attitude is polar opposite. You coming in and trying to white knight the Threads listing as "nothing to see here, move along" is just this side of being a Meta shill. Some of us still have principles.


Your attacks against me are misplaced.

If you care about privacy, then you should care about the specifics of how it is being abused so that you can defend against it. So you should care that the health data is not coming fro, your phone, it's coming from the massive databases of information that Facebook/Meta and toooooooons of other companies have on you and sell trade and swap.

If you care only should maligning Threads, then continue to obscure the threat to privacy and how the massive network of advertisers is monetizing your health data against your will. Because bringing up laws about banning apps from taking your health data from your mobile phone, which is what spawned this thread, will only detract from efforts to improve privacy, because it would do nothing to 8pm rove privacy here.

So instead of insulting me and throwing around fake "white knight" allegations, at least try to keep up with the conversation.


Perhaps a feature that has not yet been turned on in the app itself yet.


lol no




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