The carrier on Friday said it launched a media platform to serve travelers personalized advertisements on seat-back screens and in its app, among other platforms, as it seeks to leverage customer data.

  • 0110010001100010@lemmy.world
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    29 days ago

    This article is short on details but what I really want to know is WHERE is that data coming from and how the fuck does United have access to it?! Also, a follow-up question would be how does one ensure they don’t get access to that data? Is that even possible anymore?

    • xpinchx@lemmy.world
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      29 days ago

      Probably when you book from browser cookies?

      You could get around this but 99% of people won’t.

    • inconel@lemmy.ca
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      29 days ago

      I think they can rerain customers’ past flight records and maybe list of media played in flights. That said it’s almost guaranteed some ad marketing corpo is behing, and EULA is always vague to enough to allow sharing external party…

    • dave@hal9000@lemmy.world
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      29 days ago

      My hope is that there wouldn’t be anything more personal about it than age, sex, and location… But I am sure there’s a lot more that even an airline (businesses that tend to be decades behind in systems they run) can get

    • refalo@programming.dev
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      29 days ago

      You seriously can’t understand how they would have personal data on you that every other company already has?

    • AnEilifintChorcra@sopuli.xyz
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      29 days ago

      The “media network” is https://kinectivemedia.com/ and they have a link for US customers to opt out that leads to here https://uniteddigital.iad1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_88OQmAbr20oeHn8 but of course you’re going to want to also read Qualtrics privacy policy before using their services https://www.qualtrics.com/privacy-statement/

      Clicking https://kinectivemedia.com/ privacy policy links to https://www.united.com/en/us/fly/customer-data-privacy-policy.html

      They collect the usual stuff you use for travel like name, address, payment details, biometrics, I.D etc and also

      Information collected in your use of our mobile application(s) includes, but is not limited to:

      • With your consent, your pinpointed physical location information from technologies like GPS, Wi-Fi, or cell tower proximity (geo-location tracking)
      • With your consent, while at or near certain airports in the U.S., your pinpointed physical location will be tracked continuously to provide you location-based offers, services and other information. For more information, see the Location Services FAQ located on the side menu of the United App;
      • Your domain name;
      • Device ID or alternative ID where required by the platform provider;
      • Electronic data concerning operating systems and computing devices/browser, including types;
      • Features you use and links you click;
      • Amount of time spent in the application;
      • Installs and uninstalls;
      • Transaction details and history.

      We may combine this information with information that we already have collected about you.

      We collect information about you from third parties. If you make a reservation through a travel agent, we will obtain your travel information from that agent. We may also obtain information about you from our marketing partners, advertisers and other third parties.

      We primarily use your information, including personal information, to provide our services to you and to fulfill your requests. In certain circumstances, such as for advertising purposes, we combine your information with other information that we have about you, that is publicly available and/or that we have obtained from third parties (either individually or in the aggregate)

      We also use your information for the following purposes:

      For marketing and advertising. United uses your information, consistent with applicable law, individually, in the aggregate, and/or combined with demographic information that we maintain or collect from third parties, for marketing and advertising purposes (via email, direct mail, telephone, web or other electronic advertising) and to send you news and newsletters. Specifically, information that we collect about you may be used to send you email, direct mail, or telephone communications about offers from United, its partners or other third parties, that might be of interest to you (please see the section on Disclosing your information below and the section on Changing your marketing preferences below). We also use your information to determine appropriate advertising channels and venues and to place ads on such channels and venues, including placing advertising on social networking sites.

      I’m sure the money they make from this will subsidies flight costs that will be passed on to the end user for cheaper flight!

  • Hobbes_Dent@lemmy.world
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    29 days ago

    Ads themselves are an insult considering the cost of travel. But they’re insulting us all over the place on shit we pay for.

    But personalized ads in view of strangers is full-on absurdly an insult to privacy. Get bent, I hope someone finds a way to display the guitar video and song for the whole plane.

  • qwestjest78@lemmy.ca
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    29 days ago

    A couple years ago I paid what I felt was quite a bit of money for good seats on a plane. Then they started playing ads on the screen in front of me during take off. There was no way to turn off the screen and it literally felt like this screen was being thrust my face that I had no co trol over. Airline is the worst way to travel and they are only going to get more predatory.

  • Glowstick@lemmy.world
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    29 days ago

    Phones play movies. If they make the seatback system annoying then people will just stop using it and download movies from Netflix or wherever

  • Fixbeat@lemmy.ml
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    29 days ago

    I can ignore ads on a motherfucking plane just like I can everywhere else. It’s just another insult to paying customers added to the pile.

    • perishthethought@lemm.eeOP
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      29 days ago

      We noticed you may not be fully appreciating the information provided by our valued partners. We’re increasing the volume and raising your seat to help you experience them better – your friends at United

  • bazingabot@lemmy.world
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    29 days ago

    It is on a Boeing 737 max 8…🤣 So, if you are crazy enough to enter a plane that falls out of the sky because of corrupt Boeing and FAA then you are also crazy enough to see personalized ads 🤣

  • douglasg14b@lemmy.world
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    28 days ago

    “unfortunately your In-Flight Engagement Actions ™️ did not meet the requirements to qualify you for in flight perks such as entertainment and meals”

    “Please ensure you are looking directly at the screen while ads are playing to accumulate In-Flight Engagement Actions ™️”

    Coming soon to an airline near you.