
Ask HN: How did Uber app know I was flying today? Info leakage - anon-2020-09
I just got a pop-up on both my Android and iPhone from the Uber app: &quot;Flying today?  Schedule your ride with Uber&quot;.<p>I am indeed flying today, but I don&#x27;t know how it knew that.<p>I know that Google reads your gmail to create these kinds of reminders.  But I don&#x27;t know how Uber can.<p>Here are the allowed permissions on Android:<p>- Camera, Contacts, Location, Phone, SMS, Storage (microphone off)<p>Allowed permissions on iPhone:<p>- Location (while using), Camera, Siri &amp; Spearch, Notifications, Background App Refresh, Cellular Data<p>How did it know?  Siri and Search seems suspicious.  Is Siri reading my mail and providing it to the Uber app?<p>It says &quot;Learn from this app&quot; is on.  However I take that to mean that Siri is learning from the Uber app, not the other way around !!!
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brudgers
It's not your phone permissions. It's the internet.

In the general case, a data broker collects airline information from airline
computer systems, hotel information from hotel systems, location information
from phone carriers and so on. The data broker sells the information to Uber
because that's the data broker's business.

In the simplest case, Uber buys the information from the airline directly.

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rebelos
I wonder if the OP is enrolled in an A/B test. While it's easy to see how this
feature could boost CLV, you can just as easily see how the creepiness factor
might increase churn. Or perhaps users have become inured to having their
privacy so disturbingly violated, which would be rather dejecting.

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brudgers
At most, I would estimate creepiness to be rounding error. For each person who
uses the internet, and Uber, and seriously worries about privacy, there are
many many people who prefer the idea that the world revolves about them and
who will see in Uber’s timely offer an affirmation of their own consumer
savvy. Of the world bending to their most superficial convenience.
Particularly since that’s the big idea of ubering.

It’s not called the “on demand economy” for nothing.

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no-one-yet
Maybe it wasn't clear but if you got this while at the airport or on a route
that is associated with the airport then perhaps that information can be
inferred from your location.

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Jugurtha
I received an email from Careem that starts like this:

> _We’d like to be the first to greet you on your return to X!_

The model got it _very_ wrong, as in nothing is even close to a situation
where I'd be in X.

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kova12
Even if they get it right in 1% cases and get a sale this way, they still make
money. Emails cost nothing

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randyrand
All apps have access to your email address and cross correlate those info
together.

Even without email, every app can access your device id and use that to cross
correlate together with ad most networks.

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olegious
I got the same notification today, not flying anywhere and not near an
airport. Coincidence?

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mgoetzke
Location access on Android would make that easy would it not ?

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Otek
You were at the airport when you got notification?

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scott31
You have clicked yes on every permission dialog you have been presented. I
wouldn't be surprised if you gave your Gmail password to Uber

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ViViDboarder
Did you sign in with Google?

