Pandora is not so private

[TheCrazy88]

Check this out I seen this on engadget.

Pandora mobile app found to be sending birth date, gender and location information to ad servers -- Engadget

 

[rickhamilton620]

IIRC, I remember Pandora telling me about this when I signed up but it was ages ago. I'm cool with it (hey free music!) but I could understand why other's won't be.

 

[mordbane]

Aren't all free network services profitable by selling your personal information? Nobody provides services just out of the goodness of their heart. All those servers and licensing agreements with record labels cost money.

 

[alostpacket]

There's a reasonable amount of information you can ask for to target ads, then there is too much, and too specific -- and then it become dangerous.

I dont see the use in sending the device ID to an advertiser. At best it's bad coding. They could easily make up their own ID for you not tied to the deivce ID, or at the very least some cryptographically hashed and salted derivative of the device ID (still not good, but better than the actual ID). Birthday is a bit sketchy as well. Birth year (ok), or age group (even better) would be more aggregate and should suffice for ad targeting. As would Network (coarse) location instead of GPS.

It's one thing for your phone company to know your GPS history for the past few years but what happens when some 3rd party company you've never heard of has that information?

I think it's perfectly reasonable to hold Pandora's feet to the fire on this one.

 

[Ricky Babalu]

Ok so they know:
I am "X" age, male, somewhere in Southern California.

Have at it. I never pay attention to the ads, they can try and target market all they want.
I do enjoy the music though!!!!!!

Edit: Its been so long since I signed up for Pandora that I forgot to mention that all the info required to sign up is bogus. I listed myself as "female", 68 yrs. old.

 

[FreudSlipped]

Edit: Its been so long since I signed up for Pandora that I forgot to mention that all the info required to sign up is bogus. I listed myself as "female", 68 yrs. old.

I never give real, accurate information. In fact, with all those security questions for web sites (you know, what was your high school mascot?), I give the same obscure, ridiculous answers that no one should ever guess. (I won't say Never because George Malley might show up and pull it out of thin air)