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iTunes is Malware?
Moby writes "On the heels of the big Apple love-in that is Macworld comes some interesting but alarming news. Recently a few blogs have started to indicate that iTunes is tracking your music preferences and using that data to recommend other songs from iTMS. The article provides a good overview, with some recommendations of its own. Basically, iTunes is tracking your music and sending the data back to Apple servers. This info is then used to advertise songs that may be to your tastes. A convenient feature, perhaps, but it raises concerns over privacy."
This is incredulous!! The ergonomically designed iTunes interface hides nothing from the user and shows any and all pertinent information at the briefest glance. The stylishly engineered music system and efficient online purchasing system offers only the highest level of quality entertainment with none of the underhanded skullduggery that lesser companies wallow in.
Apple soars above such outrages!! You will feel His Jobnesses' Wrath!!
May the Maths Be with you!
Amazon.com is a malicious website! When I click on a book, they show me other books that people have purchased with it!!!
Be a real patriot: Question authority. Think for yourself. Formulate your own conclusions.
Oh shit! Apple knows you listen to too much Britney Spears! Time to get hysterical and post to a bunch of blogs from starbucks on your powerbook.
Then you better stop blasting it out of your riced up Honda Civic's pathetic Optimus audio system at 3:00am you worthless piece of marmoset dung!
"Hail To The Chief."
you listen to a lot Anton Webern. Seriously, it turns out that people who bought Anton Webern's Variations for Piano, Op. 27 (all three of us) also bought Jeff Foxworthy--at least according to the ministore. That little gem of demographic goodness has brightened up my day so much I don't care how what info Apple gets from my listening habits.
The chip that CowboyNeal put in my brain goes off.
The tube that CmdrTaco put in my neck to feed me is filled with coffee.
My work here is dung.
Which is why when signing up for my discount card, I listed myself as a 60 year old lady with an address in a retirement center.
:-)
Makes me wonder what happens in their data centers when I make a late-night beer run...
"Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former."
Uninstall it now, and install Windows Media player or Real player. I hear they are much better.
P.S. I also heard the sky was falling...
Fantasy remains a human right; we make in our measure and in our derivative mode... -- JRR Tolkien
"it raises concerns over privacy."
What? are you afraid it might get out that you listen to Britney Spears?
Thanks to file sharing, I purchase more CDs
Thanks to the RIAA, I buy them used...
Oh, come now, you're telling me you've trusted Apple? What has Apple done to gain your trust?
Why, their motto, of course! After all with a motto like Don't be Ev... whoops.. I'll come back next article.
I find ironic the possibility that some of those who would object to this data mining, routinely share their musical preferences with the world via nuclear-powered subwoofers at 2:00am.
Proverbs 21:19
I don't want a computer program diagnosing me at a hospital even if it is built on solid Bayesian probability models
I know lots of doctors. You are better off with the machine diagnosing you..... better probability of recovery and machines have more personality than most.
What kind of music do terrorists listen to??
- Illegaly downloaded music of course! It funds terrorism!
'Nuff said
Sounds like the author got caught purchasing Mariah Carey's Greatest Hits and an NSYNC compilation and just wanted to save some face.
I don't listen.
Forecast for tomorrow: A few sprinklings of genius with a chance of DOOM!
Yeah, I have two of those cards. For one I put "Carly Fiorina" for the name and I use it for most purchases. The other has my real name, but I only use it when I buy Condoms or sour cream.
Unknown host pong.
It still gets me when they try to do the whole "Have a nice day Mr. ___" after you pay them, take a look at the name, pause, and then give up on the whole tactic altogether.
Oh, yeah. You don't what that big evil grocer to find out that you bought peanut butter AND jelly. This is the kind of inherently evil data collection that lead to GooberGrape!
"We shall party like the Greeks of old! You know the ones I mean." - HedonismBot
But no one every told me about personal responsibility. I blame society and the government!
It would be interesting to re-phrase the question and replace "iTunes" with "Windows Media Player" and see what kinds of responses are generated by the Slashdot crowd.
There would be a few knee-jerk responses because Microsoft was involved and a lot of bitching about the level of Microsoft's evilness. Ultimately it wouldn't matter because both iTunes and WMP would have the right to do this based on their EULA and everyone would forget about it as soon as the next Google article posted.
Find coupons in Greeley
Think of it as having some hidden Easter Eggs or a game.
Perhaps It'll come back with something interesting if you listen to things like Joe Wecker - DeCSS Song or Wierd Al Yakovic - Windows 95 Sucks
Could anyone else care about what you listen to?
If your collection is really Da BOMB, it'll include
JJ Walker - DYNOMITE!
Simon and Garfunkle BRIDGE Over Troubled Water
Moody Blues - TUESDAY AFTERNOON
The Vogues - FIVE O'CLOCK World
I think Apple must tell their employees to come here and say how good they are. That's the only reasonable explanation for the ridiculous amount of Apple-love on this site.
I am trolling
they're entitled to assume it will not contain anything they need to know about unless their attention is drawn to it
And in your mind, calling it "README" doesn't count as drawing their attention?
Si vis pacem, para bellum
The only thing more annoying than a Libertarian is an (un|mis)informed Libertarian
Ever used an Internet browser? That sends data to various servers
No kidding! The porn site I just visited had an ad that informed me that my computer is emitting a unique identifier (called an "ID Address" I think) that can identify who I am to anyone on the internet. I think it was telling me the truth because it knew what town I live in! I'm OK, though, 'cause I layed down the $19.95 for their identity protection software.