[LINK] SBS: The Age of Big Data

[stephen at melbpc.org.au]

Bernard writes,
 
> > So if you visit ANY McDonalds carrying your Android phone, with free 
> > WiFi turned on, then both McDonalds and Google will know. It's
> > simplistic stats to know FOR SURE who visits, and when and what they
> > buy. What idiot could not devise sure-fire business sales-plans from
> > this absolutely hard data?
> 
> It's not necessarily hard data. There is an assumption that a person is 
> linked with a particular phone.

Yes, accept your point Bernard. However, I said McDonalds AND Google. By
this I mean one might expect Maccas to use a cloud. Odds on it's Googles?

And a Google Android phone is basically an open book to Google. Even the
free Angry Birds Android app requires access to your contacts to install. 

With open access Google surely have a darn good idea who uses each phone.  

Quite a few of my texts to new contacts include my name for example. And
Android does send and receive huge amounts of data in use. More than any
other phone operating system. Mobile web pages are fairly much web pages. 
So why does Google Android send/receive more data, if not data to Google?

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/12/31/why-do-android-smartphones-guzzle-
the-most-data/?_r=0

"In a recent study, Ericsson, the networking company, found that global 
mobile Internet traffic varied greatly, depending on the software system 
and the network that a phone uses.

But the highest average data consumption was seen on Android phones, which 
consumed an average of 2.2 gigabytes of data a month on one network, the 
study said. By contrast, iPhones used roughly 1.7 gigabytes a month and 
Windows phones used approximately 1.4 gigabytes a month, Ericsson found.

Chetan Sharma, a telecom analyst who is a consultant for wireless carriers, 
also has found that Android phones were the biggest data hogs. In the U.S. 
high-end Android phones used about 4 gigabytes a month on average this 
year, he said. That is well above the average of 1.2 gigabytes a month."

My point is, Maccas AND Google Cloud will very probably know who you are. 
They might be wrong sometimes, but big picture, that's fairly irrelevant.

In future, Big Data working in cahoots? That's when privacy is in danger.


> > The only issue is, how *granulated* personal bigdata is allowed to
> > become.
> 
> Don't agree. That's one issue, the other is accuracy in relationship 
> between the device being monitored and the person of interest.
> 
> Data do not always reflect reality. The only question is, by how much 
> and is it relevant.
 

With Maccas credit card info, and Googles open access, it's 99% certain
who's in the store, surely? How creepy a text from Maccas after a visit
offering a seriously personalized "would you like fries with that, when
you come in Friday" text? And your car dealer offering a service before
the road trip next week that your family just researched on Google? And
a text from the government, complaining when you buy cigarettes/alcohol?
Telstra offering another deal, after you investigate other mobile plans?
Drug companies offering you generic alternatives for the pills you take?
Safeway texting you a sale announcement for all the items you often buy? 
Your bank warning that the holiday you've planned will be too expensive?

That's unregulated and granulated (with names, etc) big data. No thanks.

I don't care about spooks, I'm innocent. It's all the small, continuous, 
and from everywhere stuff that will be creepy, without firm legislation.

Cheers,
Stephen


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