If they were interested in my location they could request location data. What are the odds they are doing this to directly market products to people based on health data?

Inb4 “They already do that based on what you regularly purchase”

Of course, yes they do. This appears to be one more layer on top of it. And surely they wouldn’t share that information with the pharmacy, right?

    • RaoulDook@lemmy.worldEnglish
      1·
      4 months ago

      I hate that people just install apps for whatever now. A fucking grocery store app on the phone? What code could the grocery store possibly need to run on my device? For online grocery shopping, just use their website.

      There are zero retail store apps on my phones. I don’t need any store’s app. I get all the discounts I need via the web and paper coupons in the mail.

      • Lustrate@lemm.ee
        0·
        4 months ago

        Our local grocery store chain lets you set up both pick up and delivery orders by selecting items, scheduling, and payment in the app; which is really just a wrapped website. While this might not be your use case; it’s certainly something that can be useful for people that are willing to pay an upcharge for convenience and/or time savings.

        • RaoulDook@lemmy.worldEnglish
          0·
          4 months ago

          Why not just use their website instead of installing their code on your device? If they are competent their website should have all the above features.

          • Moneo@lemmy.world
            01·
            4 months ago

            Cause I’d rather open an app then deal with an extra browser tab every time I want to use the site.

            • Tregetour@lemdro.idEnglish
              0·
              4 months ago

              An open app simply is another type of browser tab, in my books. From a ‘screen cruft’ perspective I consider them roughly equivalent. At any rate it’s an interesting aspect of software design psychology…

              • Moneo@lemmy.world
                1·
                4 months ago

                Yes I find it convenient to press a tile on my home page and have it take me to an app instead of opening a tab in my browser. I’m not sure how this is undesirable.

            • RaoulDook@lemmy.worldEnglish
              0·
              4 months ago

              “I have sacrificed my privacy for a minor convenience” is another way you could have said that.

    • Tregetour@lemdro.idEnglish
      2·
      4 months ago

      It makes you wonder why Google pursues initiatives like Web Environment “Integrity”, given that proprietary mobile apps for the most part have already completed the hatchet job on user agency and privacy.

  • Donut@leminal.spaceEnglish
    0·
    4 months ago

    This is specifically the permission to track your movement, not your BMI or other health data. It’s to turn your iPhone into a step counter. Probably something they use when you are in the store to help you find items?

    Weird how everyone is being upset at this and didn’t check what this permission does before piling on.

    • whocares314@lemmy.worldOP
      01·
      4 months ago

      This comment feels pretty derogatory to me. We know that, and if you had bothered to read the thread before coming in and making assumptions you’d have seen that. You’re missing the point. An enormous amount of information can be inferred by knowing your activity and fitness levels. This guy is on his feet 14 hours a day? Here’s a coupon for some shoe inserts. This guy spent 5 minutes pacing back and forth down the candy isle and didn’t buy anything? We need to give him a nudge to make that purchase. This person does yoga every morning and only buys organic produce? Well, they probably don’t shop at Jewel honestly but hey did you know we carry aluminum free deodorant in the health department? Your motion and fitness data can absolutely be used to infer a general level of healthiness, which is often times (and often incorrectly) also summarized as your BMI.

      It was also wisely mentioned elsewhere in the thread that targeting advertising is only the tip of the iceberg as far as what can be done with the profiles these companies build about us. But none of that exactly fits very well into a title for a post.

      • Donut@leminal.spaceEnglish
        1·
        4 months ago

        An enormous amount of information can be inferred by knowing your activity and fitness levels.

        No, it’s just step count and elevation, to provide more accurate details about your workout.

        So you’re making shit up to be upset about and can’t even be bothered to look up what it means, but the real problem is me being derogatory. Got it.