Personal data collection by ski areas

JMaul

Year one of Smuggs' going RFID, my family all had our pictures taken and it was linked to the Notch Card. It was my understanding that the lifties had tablets that would show the pic as well as other personal info given when you went thru the scanner. I seems they have abandoned that policy, except maybe on busy weekends and holidays.

First and last name, sure. Maybe zip code for marketing. If you don't want to give more info than that (i.e. email, address, phone #), then you shouldn't be required.

But, hey. We are in the digital age. Most likely your personal information is being collected and you have no idea it's happening.

ME2VTskier

Got a smart TV hooked to the Internet? Hulu? Firestick? Voice commands? You're being spied on more than you think and more data is being compiled than you realize. Facial rec and data from RFID skiing access is minor, compared to what is going on daily around you.

rickbolger

ME2VTskier;c-39588 wroteGot a smart TV hooked to the Internet? Hulu? Firestick? Voice commands? You're being spied on more than you think and more data is being compiled than you realize. Facial rec and data from RFID skiing access is minor, compared to what is going on daily around you.

exactly what I was thinking. add in the google and it's pretty darn Orwellian

NELSAP

Facebook of course too. The other day, I was asking out loud to Scott if we wanted to make some cheddar bay biscuits and we had the recipe, but nothing entered in the phone. Not kidding, the next post on Facebook was from Olive Garden showing the biscuits and saying to come in for all you can eat.

bmwskier

NELSAP;c-39590 wroteFacebook of course too. The other day, I was asking out loud to Scott if we wanted to make some cheddar bay biscuits and we had the recipe, but nothing entered in the phone. Not kidding, the next post on Facebook was from Olive Garden showing the biscuits and saying to come in for all you can eat.

The trouble is that most of the new digital age is totally and completely unregulated and so easy to get around even when it is regulated.

The amount of data collected even when logging into a website for a corporate entity is astronomical-- and gives any big corporation-- the Google, Amazon, Disney, Vail, Alterra, etc, etc all kinds of metadata to do exactly what happened to you with Facebook. Do you have one of those "smart" speakers? Everything that I've read says that they monitor you all of the time. The apps from ski areas on your phone-- monitored as well and sends data back to first, a large contracted group who then sends it to the ski area, but also uses it for their own purposes.

Big Brother would be envious of all this.

conrad

Some may throw there arms up in helplessness, but not me. I:
- Have a webcam cover on my laptop.
- Will never get a virtual assistant in any place I own.
- Use "Brave" internet browser which is centered around privacy.
- Use DuckDuckGo as my default search engine which does not track people.
- Rarely carry a phone around with me. When I do for geocaching, I typically use a separate $25 phone that is not on any mobile network.
- Often use a VPN (virtual private network) to browse internet.
- Attempt to avoid giving out email, zip, phone, and address for frivolous reasons. If pushed, give out fake information (only if request is frivolous) or my separate spam email account, sometimes even for loyalty programs.
- Use uBlock Origin which blocks trackers, ads, basically everything you don't want.
- Will never get my DNA tested unless there is a pressing medical need.
- Plan to get a privacy email based in Europe as the next logical step, possibly Proton Mail. No more Gmail for personal communication.

So you can bet that I am not happy about having to give up my email and have my face attributes added to some database when all I want is a day of skiing and to get away from it all!

The funny thing is that many people complain about the lack of privacy in the world, but many of those same people would probably think I was unreasonable or some crazy prepper if I were adamant about following these guidelines 24/7. So of course I bend all the time.

Even then, there are plenty of loose ends to tie up. I've been thoroughly corrupted by cashback credit cards, though someday I hope to go to mostly cash. Then there's the never ending stream of online accounts that need an email. And Facebook is a difficult one. Even with only 4 posts in the year 2019, they know quite a bit about me through the private messenger and photos.

I worked in the location intelligence division of a company for 3.5 years which I greatly enjoyed. However, I was in horror at one of the demos we got of an app that compiled data about individual [home, work etc.] addresses from public and private data sources.

Well there's a lot of "personal data" about me, guess my cover is almost completely blown. :|

bmwskier

What I don't get about all of this data collection s "Why?" From what I've seen there's been no impact on snow plan for skier traffic as to what trails are groomed--- no change in staffing (we need people!) for when people are on the hill-- so I don't get it. It's more of "Because they can" more than "We're going to use this for ______"

Thoughts?

conrad

Interesting article on the city of Portland, ME and their proposal to ban city officials from using facial recognition technology in the Portland Press Herald.

The ACLUs of Maine and Massachusetts said the technology is akin to having a bar code tattooed on your face that can only be read by the government to track one's movement, habits and associations.

"Face surveillance is the final frontier of government tracking, enabling officials to track you not through a cellphone (which you can leave at home), but through your face - an immutable, physical characteristic you carry with you everywhere and cannot easily hide," they said.

They do seem to be wrong about the government having a monopoly on the technology, and obviously the current use of facial recognition technology in 2020 is far less intrusive than cell phone tracking, but the point is still a good one.

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