Too many people saying, “I have nothing to hide.”
Also, people like “free” stuff.
Also, people like “free” stuff.
I think this is the same for any category of information though. Informed people will heavily advise against things that the public just has no idea on. Health is a big one.
My question is what can we do aside from running around in panic? It feels hopeless.
Consumers don't care about these schemes because they largely don't know the details.
There should be clear, tobacco-esque disclosure requirements of this sort of thing on the product packaging.
If Samsung et al. want to data mine their customers in exchange for lower pricing, they're welcome to do so. What should not be legal is doing so and appearing the same as a company who does not do so.
Then the market can make up its own mind.
I couldn't point to one IoT / internet-enabled appliance that I would say is transparent about its adtech to non-technical users.
"THIS TELEVISION MONITORS ALL OF YOUR VIEWING HABITS AND THE DATA IS SOLD FOR PROFIT. ANY TIME IT IS USED, THE PROGRAM BEING WATCHED IS SENT TO THE MANUFACTURER. IF YOU DECLINE TO BE MONITORED, YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO RETURN IT FOR 30 DAYS FROM DATE OF PURCHASE AT NO CHARGE TO YOU."
and some did not.
1. there is a lot of knowledge
2. the ramifications of not knowing things in that field are fairly high.
3. is a common source of experts advising the public do things differently. Eat less, exercise more, etc.
Which I think is somewhat the case here with Privacy and Information Tech. It's a problem that affects the public to some degree of severity, but "they" seem largely unaware of it.
I pay for a ton of products and services that still siphon my private data and serve me ads. The problem is that companies will try to squeeze as much value as they can out of their customers, whether they pay or not.
Nothing is free. People don’t realize that google being free is because, let’s say, Samsung pays Google for ads. And Samsung passes it on to customers. Lo and behold, your phone purchase pays for Google. (This is simplistic but I’m using it as an example of hidden costs. Advertisers could potential still spend the money elsewhere or keep it as profits)