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Is Big Tech Prioritizing User Privacy?
333 sats \ 11 comments \ @kr 17 Dec 2022 bitcoin
In just the last week I’ve seen two promising announcements from Apple and Google with regards to their encryption efforts.
Two data points doesn’t necessarily make a pattern, but Google and Apple are influential enough that they could push many more companies to follow suit.
Curious to know what SN users think… are these press releases just noise, or a signal that big tech is focusing more on enhancing user privacy?
If you think this is a real trend towards privacy, what do you think was the catalyst for Apple and Google’s shift in priorities?
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1184 sats \ 0 replies \ @shyfire 18 Dec 2022
Here's a third data point https://www.pcmag.com/news/dropbox-to-offer-end-to-end-zero-knowledge-encryption
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1046 sats \ 0 replies \ @longlifelearner20 17 Dec 2022
I don't think the problem is with giant techs but rather with us as customers since we don't give that much attention to our data, it is suoer easy to slip down the rabbit and be part of it even you are well aware of it. But im happy to know that people started demand for how their data are used and track them, in this basis these companies will start to take huge steps towards carrying about privacy since it is indeed the very first concern for their customers.
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178 sats \ 4 replies \ @ln123 17 Dec 2022
It's probably so expensive for them to be constantly feeding our information to all the various agencies, and battling court cases, they decided to just set things up so they can't be forced to
Hard to imagine it was a moral decision from a business guy in a suit
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0 sats \ 3 replies \ @kr OP 17 Dec 2022
I’m not up to speed on the relationship between big tech companies and governments, so bear with me here.
Why would it be expensive for a big tech company to pass along info to governments? Can they (or do they) turn that request into a revenue source by charging governments money for access to certain info?
Isn’t that what Chainalysis and others in the crypto ecosystem already do?
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228 sats \ 2 replies \ @ln123 17 Dec 2022
Yes I believe they do charge for it, so perhaps this covers the costs of maintaining such a service
The bigger question is whether the tech companies want to maintain such services, given the reputational damage and the rise of sovereign alternatives (such as linux phones)
Plus the complexity and actual genuine security risks of having those back doors available to hundreds of staff
As @thebtctotoro says, trust takes a long time to build. It would only take one rogue employee to shatter a hard-won brand like iPhone.
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0 sats \ 1 reply \ @kr OP 17 Dec 2022
makes sense, a lot of bitcoin companies talk about how they don’t want to hold customer funds, so i could see how tech companies feel the same way about data.
i also wonder if this shift towards privacy is related to the increasing focus on paid products and services.
YouTube has really started ramping up their creator monetization suite, and has started promoting their paid, ad-free version. Twitter is in the same boat too now.
Maybe we’re reaching a tipping point in the tech industry where it’s more profitable to ask people to pay up front than to use their data against them behind their backs.
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951 sats \ 0 replies \ @ln123 17 Dec 2022
Once your company / capital hits a certain size, your decisions (ought to) become more about 'don't lose money' than 'make money however we can'
risk management essentially
applies to BTC I guess. Most important / under-rated thing is simply to keep hold of it..
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177 sats \ 1 reply \ @thebtctoto 17 Dec 2022
trust takes a long time to build. I'd need multi-year record of supporting privacy and specifically a fight with a government where they prove they don't have a back door to spy on their own encrypted emails.
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0 sats \ 0 replies \ @kr OP 17 Dec 2022
Good point. What other privacy features would you like to see Google or Apple working on today?
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7 sats \ 0 replies \ @davidw 18 Dec 2022
Given their false privacy claims in the past, I would be very surprised if they are not using a compromised or NSA approved method of encryption (with back doors).
These moves would involve these big tech firms cutting off their own arm and compromising their own money-making machine in an era of AI… it doesn’t make sense to me but I’d love to see it.
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10 sats \ 0 replies \ @DarthCoin 17 Dec 2022
I never used and will never use any Apple products. I limited my personal use of Google products to 0.01% and I want to eliminate it totally.
TLDR: I don't give a shit about their "privacy" announcements. Are total bullshit lies.
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