How to Opt Out of Companies That Transfer Your Data to Third Parties
A class action lawsuit was filed against Apple on Wednesday after it was discovered that Siri, the iPhone’s virtual assistant, had saved voice recordings of some of its users to improve its voice recognition software. Although its “listening program” is currently disabled, Apple plans to create a opt-out feature for users at some unclear point in the future. It’s also unclear where all this data goes after Apple verifies it.
If you’re wondering which data companies like Apple, LinkedIn or Yelp, or might be sharing with third parties and want to opt out once and for all, visit Simple Opt Out . The website has collected opt-out policies and links for multiple social media platforms, phone companies, magazine publishers, and more, so you don’t have to navigate illegible legal terms or privacy pages.
For example, Crate & Barrel may share your name, address, email address and transaction history with “select companies whose products and services may be useful to you.” (You will need to email support to opt -out .) Meanwhile, Yelp can share your name, calls, arrival stamps – and every click on the platform – to other companies, which is very normal and not confusing at all. confused. (You will need to sign in to your account and manage your privacy settings to opt out.)
However, it is not easy to opt out of some company ads or data-sharing settings. As with Crate & Barrel, some companies require you to email them directly to opt out, which complicates and delays the process. (Will they respond by email? Do their support agents care at all?) Luckily, Simple Opt Out also provides an email template that you can send to companies to opt out of data sharing or mailing lists; just scroll down the page to copy the template and paste it into your email.
If you don’t see a company on the Simple Opt Out list, here are some tips they recommend: search the internet for the company name and “privacy policy”, find any version of “Your Choices” or “Your Preferences” and find settings. related to data, confidentiality or information disclosure.
And while you are doing that, be sure to delete your recordings from devices like Alexa and Google Assistant, which also collect your voice data, because nothing else matters.