C_NCENTRATE #577: VR demand, Netflix games, is cool 'cool', de-anonymization and more...
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YOU ARE BEING DE-ANONYMIZED
Vice has been on a tear recently with some great pieces. The latest regards the de-anonymization industry and shows companies buying pseudonymized datasets with mobile advertising IDs (MAIDs) and unmask people's identities in the datasets. Why? Companies are locking down, changing Ts&Cs and cookies, well cookies are going.
Companies compare MAIDs from phone apps to to a person's complete name, physical address, and other personally identifiable information (PII). Tech corporations have frequently informed the public that trackers used to track smartphone users through apps are anonymous or at the very least pseudonymous, and that the individual using the phone is not directly identified. However, the companies don't disclose that there is a whole industry dedicated to purposely and explicitly shattering that anonymity.
This de-anonymization industry uses various terms to describe their product, including "identity resolution" and "identity graph." Other companies claiming to offer a similar service as BIGDBM include FullContact, which says it has 223 billion data points for the U.S., as well as profiles on over 275 million adults in the U.S.
A worrying trend that already has senators publicly naming and shaming. Expect more on this to come as the issue is more understood both before and behind closed doors.
SO WHAT?
__ DO __ Make it a behaviour to protect your data. We’re more online than ever and sharing even more. Think before you hashtag - inference is important. // __ DON'T __ Think privacy is dead. It’s not. You can make it harder to be tracked and hand over your data without creating alt accounts and such. Being sensible and reevaluating things like bios and passwords is a good start.
NOTE: Mouthwash Season Two is halfway! This season we’re exploring POWER! Another full week of guests begins Monday and features Espree Devora, Simon Andrews, Dorie Clarke, ‘Be More Pirate’ Sam Conniff and Chandler T Wilson who’s a north star in AI. Tune-in live on Twitter Spaces 8pm BST / 3pm EST / 12pm PST.
Find out more here.
THIS ISSUE OF C_NCENTRATE IS FREE THANKS TO WAYDEV
Waydev helps software engineering leaders gain complete visibility of their teams with a data-driven story of key business initiatives.
Can VR goggles make people less racist? The data says yes. > [5 mins]
How much power does each country spend on crypto mining? > [1 min]
Netflix is going to launch gaming options in the next 12 months. > [5 mins]
Demand for VR/AR goggles has tripled yoy. > [4 mins]
Proof there’s a lot of AI experiments going on that are…less than stellar. > [5 mins]
This site tracks all ransomware that’s happening in the world. > [3 mins]
Facebook is no longer building a brain-interface. > [5 mins]
Does ‘cool’ need an update? > [7 mins]
Is the world ready for 4in1 footwear? > [2 mins]
Interesting thinking; a botnet for environmental news to boost it on search engines. [4 mins]