Under Armour Terms & Conditions
I frequently use MapMyRun because I often run long distances and I take different trails most of the time. I like to know how far I’ve gone and my minutes per mile; however, I’ve never looked at the Terms & Conditions. Three things that surprised me in the Terms & Conditions is the information they collect on my location, the information they collect from the surveys, challenges, promotions, contests, and sweepstakes I take online, and the information they collect about my engagement with online communities.
First, I think it’s fairly strange that Under Armour collects data on my location even when I’m not actively using the app. They say in the Terms & Conditions that they can determine from this data when you are in the store and push notifications about deals and promotions to your phone using this information. This information could also be sold to other third parties, so that other companies nearby can push notifications and sale emails your way as well. This is a genius move on part of the company; however, it makes me feel uneasy that they do this. I guess I’ve always realized that my cell phone always keeps track of my location, but I really don’t like that so many people know where I am at any given time.
Second, it’s very odd that they collect data from surveys, sweepstakes, etc. that I take online. Especially considering that sometimes surveys contain more qualitative data instead of just quantitative. It says that they sell data they collect to researchers and it makes me wonder what kind of studies are being published using qualitative data from surveys that are supposed to be private. I’m a Psychology major and I know from the massive amount of studies I’ve looked over that researchers create biased studies all the time from questionable data for a self-serving purpose.
Third, it makes me extremely uneasy that Under Armour has access to my conversations and interactions on social media. They also say that they have the right to remove comments and interactions from comment fields, message boards, and events from their own websites. I often read reviews and comments on products to decide if I want to buy them, but if Under Armour can legally remove comments and reviews it makes me second guess whether a product or service is in fact as good as people say.
After I have stated my observations from the App, I think it’s really difficult to comment on the ethics of the Terms & Conditions. I think it’s concerning that so many third parties have SO much information on us, and they can really do whatever they want with it. However, we also make the choice to use the technology and products. It’s not hacking because at the end of the day we are consenting to it, and in return we get to use their product. Additionally, as much as we say we need technology, it wouldn’t be that difficult to get a phone without data. I think it’s more important that we provide the least amount of information as possible when using Apps and be hyperaware of everything we do online.
If I were to put myself in the hackers shoes, I definitely would reveal the corrupt data I found. I think it is somehow civic duty to real corruptness even if it’s costly because even just knowing about something makes you somewhat responsible for that information and the fallout from that information. In the case of the Panama papers, I think it is ethical to hack data and put people on trial for corruptness. The truth always has a way of coming out, and I think secrets would be released regardless of whether the data was hacked or not.
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Wow I did not realize Under Armor deletes comments from its website. Although it makes sense that the owner of the website can change whatever they like, it is definitely misleading when you’re trying to gauge the quality of an item from the comments.
And while it also makes sense that they are collecting all this data to make a profit, it also sort of feels like these companies are taking advantage of us. But since a lot of these apps are free, maybe that’s just the price to pay these days.
I completely agree with your last paragraph. Hacking is a way of uncovering the truth, and I am glad this corruptness was exposed.
Having access to people’s conversations and being able to delete comments is a bit troubling as it takes away a person’s freedom of speech. And the fact that they would know your location at all times makes me feel unsettled. Then again, there are very few apps that don’t know your location anymore, so I suppose we’re all subjected to being tracked in a way.
I agree with you that we need to be careful about what information we give out about ourselves online and through apps. I know quite a lot of the apps on my phone ask if they can track my location, but I generally switch that feature off. My phone itself used to send reports to Apple of diagnostic data and usage data until I switched off that function (hidden in the settings). You also bring up a good point about potentially biased research happening with the surveys- and the results can be easily skewed if someone decides to just put in random answers.
It’s easy to feel bad for feeling uneasy, at least for me. I agreed to all of this data collection when I downloaded the app, technically, and I should be used to the idea of how technology works. The vast majority of the time, in fact, data collection like the kinds you mentioned here will only be used for positive change for the company and its products. But imagine that one day I hack something like the Panama Papers – all that data that’s being collected on my exact position and preferences and connections will become quite valuable. I understand your uneasiness, and share it myself.