The gig worker app that has you spying for international government entities

Originally published at: The gig worker app that has you spying for international government entities | Boing Boing

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“In addition to data gathered from tasks, metadata from users is also gathered by Premise and sold to its clients — details such as what phone someone is using, where they are, and what apps they have installed.”

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image

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That’s the Westworld app/thing? that’s what I came here to see referenced.

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Can’t they just use all the surveillance birds for this? Why do they have to pay people?

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I’m sure this trustworthy company will treat that metadata, along with the user’s e-mails and texts and social media activity, with the utmost of confidence and respect.

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Earn one dollar, lose ten years in prison.Some countries have no sense of humor when it comes to people taking pictures for foreign governments, even if they don’t understand who they work for.

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Oh joy! So, if you go to the ‘wrong’ country and simply have that app on your phone, you can be arrested as a spy! And put in jail for the rest of your life, or summarily executed!

All for micropayments!

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If any amount of your time is worth five cents, how do you afford to run a smartphone?

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Make money, motherf*ckers

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Major Gibsonian Followr vibes

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Yikes. I’m guessing the public messaging about what the app is for doesn’t remotely match how they’re privately selling this? So plenty of unsuspecting gig workers will accidentally get embroiled in espionage, only to find out at their trials?

Double yikes. So the users aren’t just being exploited as dupes, but as resources themselves.

An unwitting one, no less. The absolutely recklessness of these app makers, the total disregard for their users’ lives… it’s almost unbelievable. Except I do believe it, as I’ve seen how clueless, privileged and sociopathic tech bros can be.

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Time to come clean. All those times I posted pictures of my meals to Instagram, I was a contract spy for the Russians. Now they know which restaurants in the tri-state area have the best blooming onions.

I thought it was obvious, that I’d get caught the very first time. Why would anyone do this otherwise? It’s too vapid and self-obsessed for any remotely normal person to do. But my handler was right—the more ridiculous the cover story, the more easily it will be believed.

May God have mercy on my soul.

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Oh boy, where do I sign up?

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International gig worker of mystery!

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Hiro Protagonist
Last of the Freelance Hackers
Greatest swordfighter in the world
Stringer, Central Intelligence Corporation.
Specialising in Software related Intel.
(Music, Movies & Microcode.)
Metaverse Address

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These are amateurs.
Imagine how the professionals do it with polished apps.
(I am thinking Pokémon Go.)

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Imagine if you could make an app where people not only posted photos, but told you everything about themselves…

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:thinking: I can outsource scoping out my next heist target?

This app sounds like it’s the setup for a TV show pitch. That is to say it makes sense only if you don’t look too deeply.

Outsourcing open source information collection like this seems like a bad idea.

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It’s ok folks, privacy and security zealot Apple approved this Premise app to be in the Apple App Store. That’s THE gold seal of privacy and security standard, so use this app with abandon.

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