Researchers: Mobile Users Will Trade Data For Fun and Profit 21
itwbennett writes: Even as mobile users become more security and privacy conscious, researchers and other mobile data collectors still to collect user data in order to build products and services. The question: How to get users to give up that data? Researchers at the New Jersey Institute of Technology tested two incentives: gamification and micropayments. The test involved building a campus Wi-Fi coverage map using user data collected from student participants who either played a first-person shooter game or who were paid to complete certain tasks (e.g., taking photos). The game turned out to be a quick and efficient way to build the Wi-Fi coverage map. But data from the micropayments group was found to be "sometimes unreliable, and individuals were trying to trick the system into thinking they had accomplished tasks."
Re: (Score:2)
None of it? None at all? Do the websites you visit not have to pay for hosting? Do the content providers you patronize not pay their writers?
Free data for your data! (Score:1)
What? This is not about data caps? nevermind then.
Duh. But correlary (Score:3)
I am absolutely willing to trade my personal data for fun and/or profit. I figure they'll get it anyway, might as well help them along if I can get something out of it. Only if what I have to trade is worth what I'm getting, though. My personal data is worth way more to an aggregator than it is to me, so I'm happy to sell it to them.
Generally speaking, though, all the *mobile* apps that try to help me sell that data, suck my phone's battery like a cheap robot hooker, and *that's* worth way more to me. So I don't bother with them, which is too bad. (I've tried a couple similar programs for PC use, too. Don't have to worry about battery in that context, of course, but I do have to worry that they won't sporadically bug out and totally go crazy eating all my cpu and/or ram, which they have, so not bothering with those, either.)
Just sticking to *passive* methods of selling my data (i.e. surveys) has been pretty lucrative, though. A little bit more time-consuming, and the data they're getting might not be quite as precise, but it won't interfere with the things I actually *want* to use my laptop and/or phone for.
Re: (Score:2)
" figure they'll get it anyway, might as well help them along if I can get something out of it." is a self fulfilling prophesy. People only win because you have already surrendered.
I won't claim that nobody has sifted my data for a profile, but I surely don't give companies anything even for a price. The exception I can think of off the top of my head is my GM Car and On-Star. I realize that they can track me by GPS, but I don't drive very much. My car is a 2011 with 18K miles on it, and about 4,000 o
Re: (Score:2)
A bit of an ironic signature then ;)
Re: (Score:2)
Why is it that so many people fail to comprehend what "do not expect" means. If English is not your first language ask if you don't know. The majority of the time people attempting to attack that statement are English speakers who can't figure out their own language (or read more than 2 words).
Here is a hint: Look up the word "expect' in the dictionary.
Re: (Score:2)
I just think it's funny that you talk about "disposable email accounts" and then seem to value non-AC accounts, as there's any real difference...
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
So you do understand the word "expect", but instead of asking me why I would not be as willing to converse with an unknown person who will remain anonymous you insert your own reasoning. You are really no better off with this statement than your first.
The irony is that you fiercely guard your own pseudo-anonymity, while scorning others who seek even deeper anonymity.
Oh, you're right, the proper English term is not 'ironic', it's 'hypocritical'. Thanks for clearing that up :)
Re: (Score:2)
Having a username and using the username for well over a decade is now "anonymous", or "pseudo anonymous"? Come now, if you want to attack people at least attempt to pick a valid target. You and GP are both grasping at straws trying to defend that original attack. Failing I will add.
Keep moving that goal post, it will be on solid ground one day right?
Google Opinion Rewards (Score:3)
Re: (Score:1)
I keep seeing that in my verizon account ive never signed up for it as i am not sure what they get in return and the rewards don't look much like rewards at all
Re: (Score:2)
Been done (Score:4, Informative)
Correction (Score:2)
They are missing the point (Score:2)
Data transfer does NOT cost money, bandwidth does. The infrastructure to handle x-amount of bandwidth has to be in place in order to handle data transfer. Limiting data transfer is an artificial method to incite people to reduce their overall bandwidth use but you're still bursting over your limits if you don't have the capacity to handle it.
Sales people have been able to convince the populace that they need data transfer and that it is a limited resource while what they need to ask for is data bandwidth wh