From noplace’s FAQs: *
do you collect my data?
we use your phone number as a way for you to sign up and log into the app. that’s the only thing about you we collect.
we don’t share your number or anything else about you with third parties like some other apps do. we want you to be able to securely log in and chat with ur friends, that’s it.
Emphasis mine. Now their privacy policy: *
Types of Data Collected
Personal Data While using Our Service, We may ask You to provide Us with certain personally identifiable information that can be used to contact or identify You. Personally identifiable information may include, but is not limited to:
Phone number Usage Data Usage Data Usage Data is collected automatically when using the Service. Usage Data may include information such as Your Device’s Internet Protocol address (e.g. IP address), browser type, browser version, the pages of our Service that You visit, the time and date of Your visit, the time spent on those pages, unique device identifiers and other diagnostic data. When You access the Service by or through a mobile device, We may collect certain information automatically, including, but not limited to, the type of mobile device You use, Your mobile device unique ID, the IP address of Your mobile device, Your mobile operating system, the type of mobile Internet browser You use, unique device identifiers and other diagnostic data. We may also collect information that Your browser sends whenever You visit our Service or when You access the Service by or through a mobile device.
So, it looks like they’re starting off with lies right at the top, like every other tech startup.
EDIT: To also address the “we don’t share your number or anything else about you with third parties” part, the privacy policy also outlines exactly how they will share your data with third parties:
We may share Your personal information in the following situations: […] With business partners: We may share Your information with Our business partners to offer You certain products, services or promotions.
Go fuck yourselves, noplace.
EDIT: Another issue I just found with their FAQs:
is this a crypto thing?
wut? no.
I thought it was weird that crypto would be a frequently-asked question for what appears to otherwise be a pretty generic-looking social network. Then I found that noplace’s parent company, Islands XYZ, was originally launched to be an NFT platform of some sort, financially backed by our old friend Alexis Ohanian.
So they’re totally not a crypto thing. Definitely not crypto. 100% something other than crypto.
Guys, I swear they’re not a crypto thing.
- Your Device’s Internet Protocol address (e.g. IP address), - absolutely necessary for anti-ddos techniques
- browser type, browser version, - necessary for UX to build a functional website for the browsers that customers actually use
- the pages of our Service that You visit, the time and date of Your visit, the time spent on those pages, - critical for determining what is popular and what isn’t to improve how the interface is designed and what parts are pulled forward and what parts are hidden in menus
- unique device identifiers and other diagnostic data. - useful for determining how often you switch devices and the performance and other experience metrics to drive making the app more user friendly
I work on web software professionally and this is a pretty minimal list that is completely justifiable for maintaining operations. If you can’t answer basic questions like “what are users doing with the app?”, you can’t make intelligent decisions about how to improve it.
There’s a lot of the same stuff here: https://legal.lemmy.world/privacy-policy/
I don’t know anything about this app or company so I’m not going to defend them, but there aren’t any real red flags here. If this amount of data collection bothers you, you really should stop using the internet in general.
Sorry, I kinda got lost in the sauce on my original comment, lol. My issue isn’t so much with the data collection, itself. My problem is that their FAQs say things that appear to be outright lies. Not even just embellishing the truth or something, but complete falsehoods.
I don’t care so much that they collect a bit of data. But if they’re wiling to lie to a potential user about their data collection, I can’t help but wonder what else they might be willing to be dishonest about. I already have doubts about their crypto claim in the FAQ based on their founder’s history with NFTs, so I worry that this might also be something they’re not being truthful about.
I think you’ve missed the point. It’s not the data they are collecting but the fact they say they don’t collect data.
And just to piggyback on this comment, I’m an Android developer and we this information is critical for determining similarities for bug solving.
You would not believe how often there is a bug caused by a specific model of phone. That connection you can only know if you log that for every crash you get.
Instead of algorithms, noplace leverages AI technology to drive suggestions and curation.
Instead of algorithms, noplace leverages algorithms to drive suggestions and curation
thanks i hate it here
It’s potentially worse, because before you may have had an algorithm that a human could fine tune or whistleblow on. Now if it is trained on large datasets, the resulting algorithm is usually a blackbox weight matrix, they probably have no idea what pattern it is optimizing :S
Nearly every social media has used Machine Learning to create personalised since a very long time, it was just not marketed as AI…
Yea, by “before” I guess I meant before 2013…which leaves more “after” than “before” for social media 😅 .
Most bullshit take I have ever seen. You can’t replace a recommendation algorithm with AI, since its basically the same.
You used to have (still have, I think) very simple friends-of-friends algos that are not ML, they are just graph connectivity and distance with some union-joins thrown in the middle. They work for recommendations like steam games of what people who like this game also liked.
OK, thu is an example of a non AI recommendation algorithm. However, what we see now(you watched x so you like y) is basically AI
launching something on ios only? in this day and age? y’all know places outside the us exist, right?
The rich want to enclose themselves in a bubble without average people >:(
Gen z bullies themselves to only use iPhone, or so I’ve heard. Comply or be left out of every group chat
That’s only true for US.
Good to hear!
Not in Europe. Everyone just uses WhatsApp, even with an iPhone.
Gen Z most assuredly doesn’t.
Something’s weird with this; I have heard absolutely nothing about this. Surely this is botted? Social media platforms don’t take off like this. Regardless of if its legit or not; who is funding this? No social media platform ever makes a profit.
Pretty sure they ran a shitload of ads on tiktok using vc money before the app even released.
IOS only of course. Pack it up, nothing to see here. This is another clubhouse.
Do people who don’t have to buy their own hardware yet even use Android?
Absolutely. Android devices are dirt cheap, and ubiquitous in most of the world. It’s an obvious choice for many based on that alone. There’s also lots of families that aren’t in Apple’s ecosystem.
I hope someday we can have Friendster 2.0
Daaang…i really miss that placeRemember Livejournal?
Or deadjournal? If livejournal was too mainstream, but you still had to get your emo thoughts on the internet
Deadjournal was (is?) such an excellent niche corner of the internet. I remember being young and having trouble connecting the site, totally my fault, but I sent them an email and the admins Cryo and SCSi personally helped me get it figured out. In hindsight I couldn’t imagine another platform taking the time.
It may not be super active, but Insanejournal is still a thing.
