Ok, so I started going through my Apps, trying to be open minded and not accuse every single app of trying to steal my data. All was well and I didn’t think I was going to find anything too ‘off’ until I reach my second favorite internet radio app, Pandora. Now maybe this pertains to a feature that comes with a paid Pandora account, but i’m not sure. Apparently the app has permission to “add or modify calendar events and send email to guests without owners’ knowledge.” It’s also allowed to read my SD card and add or delete anything there, which was startling at first, but I dismissed it. I can’t think of any reason for why it would need to mess with my calendar or send emails to others “without [my] knowledge.” I do not feel that this is helpful to me in anyway. However I’m not sure how this would help them in any way either. Maybe, since they are allowed to modify calendar events, they can also scan my calendar events for key words like “vacation” or “wedding” and plan their playlist and ads around that? Some calendar events may contain a location, and so Pandora could collect the data of who’s listening to what and where are they when they listen to it.<\/p>\n
However, even knowing this, I may not delete the app or stop using their service. I am slowly leaving them anyway now that i’ve discovered spotify. I may tell my friends the next time I hang out with them, but I wont be running to the local news with this latest story on corporate corruption. Call me lazy, call me indifferent. I’ve had my moment of surprise and betrayal, but honestly, I never would have found out that Pandora did this if it weren’t for this blog post assignment. This type of collection, which in my opinion is not hacking because I must have said yes to it somewhere along the line, does not compare to true corruption. If at the end of the day, Pandora is able to create better play lists for their listeners, I won’t be hooting and hollering, screaming for the head of the CEO of Pandora on a spike. Good for them for trying to make their service better for their listeners. What would get my blood boiling is if Pandora actively used the data they collected against their users. Which just doesn’t make business sense.<\/p>\n
*Revised & Added 4\/17\/16*
\nI think that if I were in the position of a famous hacker, I would feel torn between doing what is right, and maintaining my current lifestyle. Snowden gave up everything to do what he felt was right, and while many question the heroics of his act, it has undeniably left it’s mark on our nations history. I think the indifference I feel in running to the mountain tops to expose Pandora’s treachery, would influence my decision to follow Snowden. The greater good would have to vastly outweigh my own good if I were to risk everything exposing the truth. I think for Snowden, the greater good did outweigh his own, and that he humbly knew that and accepted it as his duty to his country.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Ok, so I started going through my Apps, trying to be open minded and not accuse every single app of trying to steal my data. All was well and I didn’t think I was going to find anything too ‘off’ until I reach my second favorite internet radio app, Pandora. Now maybe this pertains to
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