Confession time readers: I really want a new TV. Not just any TV. I want The Frame by Samsung. But it’s so expensive! TVs are so cheap nowadays, why is this one more than others!?

Think to yourself, television technology has been getting way better, yet the prices aren’t climbing with it. How can that be? Are these companies just losing money on every TV they sell? Of course not! Why do you think Roku wants you to agree to their terms of service before you can use it?

Every website, every app, everything that connects to the internet is collecting data on you. We aren't just giving money for a product anymore, we're trading our money AND data for a product. You ever read a privacy policy from one of these companies? It's in pure legalese for a reason.

Luis, NO ONE reads those things. We just click accept and move on with our life.

Touché. Let's see if there is a simple way to show how much data you easily share.

Intel Techniques made a tool that is probably outdated but still proves a point. Click this link. What you see on your screen is a bunch of stuff their site could collect on what device you're using. But who cares about what device you use, right? Everyone has devices that are similar if not exactly the same.

Right.

Oh, this is going to be a challenge. Explain to me why a vending machine is collecting your facial data? That isn't weird to you? Imagine if Target knew your daughter was pregnant before you, is that even possible?

Why does Nissan need to know your, (checks notes), sexual activity, health diagnosis data, and genetic information? They aren't the only ones. EVERY DEVICE YOU CONNECT TO THE INTERNET IS COLLECTING SOMETHING. Mozilla made fun little website called Privacy Not Included. Check it out when you're bored.

I mean, is it really a big deal if...

Fine! Have you ever used White Pages? Try searching yourself. I know that's kind of cheating, cause you know all the information on yourself, but try and see how little information you can give it before finding yourself. This is just one website that does this, Intel Techniques has a handy guide on how to remove your data from a few others.

Was it easy to find yourself? Apparently it was easy to find a priest who was on grindr, and his data was anonymized. How would you feel if, oh, I don't know, you lost access to your Google account cause you took a photo of your child to show to a doctor? Of course that wouldn't happen to you, but how would that make you feel?

Even the photos you share give out a lot of information. Someone sent me this photo:

I know exactly when they took the photo (March 26th, 6:14pm), from what phone (iPhone 14), with which camera (back dual wide camera 5.7mm f/1.5), and what software their phone was on when they took it (17.4.1).

Someone else sent me this:

The date (March 26th, 6:20pm), what phone (iPhone 15), the camera (back dual wide camera 5.96mm f/1.6), and the software (17.3.1). They both did not share the location where the photo was taken (a setting that they have turned off), but even without that in the metadata, people can know where that photo was taken.

What can I take from this? Without their location, I got nothing really to work with there. But the second person's iPhone isn't up to date! And the most recent update is pretty important, it fixes two major exploits. If I, or someone who they shared this photo with, had the means and the motives, they can take over their phone.

(For the record, I got permission to use the photos. I removed the metadata from the photos before using them)

The messaging app Signal decided to show how much data Meta has on its users. It made a hyper specific ad campaign to prove it's point. All these social media companies can do that same ad targeting on you. That's how much data they have on you. How do you think Spotify can make those cool wrap ups every year?

The United States is trying to ban TikTok over worries about the data it has access to. This is the same type of data that EVERY other social media collects. Yet they're worried about China having access to it. Isn't that...weird? Is it cause, I don't know, they don't have access to it? Bryon Tau wrote a great book about the US government collecting and using data. This surveillance level stuff here.

I didn't even focus on what these companies are doing with all the data on you. They're just selling it. All of them are. Car companies are selling it to insurance companies. All the other ones are selling them to advertising comapnies. They all make money from selling you!

That's okay with me.

Well, shit. Since it apparently doesn't matter, I might as well sign up to get this TV for free.

Fun finds:

Curbed wrote about squatters who turned an empty mansion in Beverly Hills into a party house.

Someone made a bunch of AI chatbots fight each other in Street Fighter 3.

New trailer for what could possibly be game of the year came out. It's called Squirrel with a Gun. You literally play as a Squirrel...with a gun.