Niantic announces “Large Geospatial Model” trained on Pokémon Go player data

We do this at MyFitnessPal.

When users scan their barcode, the preview window is zoomed in so users think its mostly barcode. We actually get quite a bit more background noise typically of a fridge, supermarket aisle, pantry etc. but it is sent across to us, stored, and trained on.

Within the next year we will have a pretty good idea of the average pantry, fridge, supermarket aisle. Who knows what is next

I’d be interested in how your privacy policy allows this. I can’t find where it mentions photos are stored or used for training purposes…

Whoa, that's a p crazy admission. Is this known publicly?

This is outrageously unethical. Someone scanning a barcode would have every reason to think that the code was being parsed locally on their phone. There would be no reason to upload an entire photo to read a barcode. Beyond which, not even alerting the user visually that their camera is picking up background stuff???

What if it's on their desk and there are sensitive legal documents next to it? How are you safeguarding all that private data? You could well be illegally in possession of classified documents, unconsenting nudes, all kinds of stuff. And it sounds like it's not even encrypted.

Was here before comment got removed!

I would be more interested on why you believe something like this isn't baked into most privacy policies.

I'm not shocked but I'm shocked you are shocked.

Holy shit thats some big whistleblowing if true

I am just assuming the post was sarcasm and the user doesn’t work there.

Otherwise, someone is FIRED

I’m not exactly shocked that it could exist. But this usage (beyond the scope of processing barcodes) seems like it couldn’t be construed to fit into the normal avenues of data collection under a privacy policy. Also with regard to training specifically, this policy was created in late 2020 so I don’t know how it would cover generative models.

brother definitely just violated an NDA

Giving their policy an (admittedly quick) skim there doesn't seem to be any section that mentions AI, LLMs, training any kind of model, using image data from barcode pictures, etc. I'd be very curious to see the explanation of how this is baked into the policy.

The MyFitnessPal privacy policy says "We use photos, videos, or other data you provide to us to customize our Services." [1]

That's all they need to do to cover themselves.

[1] https://www.myfitnesspal.com/privacy-policy

The policy defines "Services" as the mobile app and website. How is building a general purpose model for what the average fridge looks like used to customise either the website or the app? This feels like the kind of flimsy reasoning that only holds so long as no one is challenging it.

Easy. They provide this new general purpose model through the website. Bam, that's a Service that uses photos to customize. They can also expand what counts as a Service unilaterally.

With this broad of a privacy policy, they can start MyFitnessPal.com/UncroppedCandidPhotos where they let people search for users by name, email, or phone and sell your photos to the highest bidder, and that still would count as a Service that uses photos to customize. You consented to it!

> This feels like the kind of flimsy reasoning that only holds so long as no one is challenging it.

No, it is written by professional lawyers to be as permissive as possible.

This post’s replies makes it clear a lot of us don’t recognize humor. Do people really think MyFitnessPal is trying to build a model of the average pantry?

Who knows what is next

> No, it is written by professional lawyers to be as permissive as possible.

But you repeat myself.

OK, say they do all that, that isn't customisation (I would argue) it is a new service that was built from unconsented data scraped from users of the pre-existing services. Call that splitting hairs if you like, but this looks like a risk to me.

The problem is that it's not possible to make a parody of an unethical company so blatant that it wouldn't also be a 100% plausible description of a business practice that some company actually does...

> That's all they need to do to cover themselves.

If this is real and not a joke, I bet some DPA will disagree if this is brought to their attention. Effective consent under GDPR requires informed consent.

If this is real, I hope MyFitnessPal doesn't operate in the EU.

Or rather, I hope they do, and receive an appropriate fine for this, if not even criminal prosecution (e.g. if the app uploaded nonconsensual pornography of someone visible only in the cropped out space).

I really hope this is a joke, as someone who diligently uses the barcode feature on MFP everyday.......

For when this is in court:

Hello court jurors ! I hope you're having a great day. One of the attorneys breath smells pretty bad, am I right ?

please don't feed the trolls

Silicon Valley TV show is a documentary

The humor isn’t recognized because the humor isn’t there. To be funny there has to be a setup, a punchline, some kinda joke structure. Humor isn’t just saying false things…

Imagine a comedian saying this on stage, how many laughs would that get?

> Do people really think MyFitnessPal is trying to build a model of the average pantry?

We’ve all seen dumber things that are real. Juicero is my personal favorite example.

The humor is attained afterwards when one reads the comments who take it seriously, they become the punchline.

That completes the circuit. It's a nice setup.

Except we're living in a world where it wouldn't be that surprising, especially after reading this post. Good idea of a joke but bad execution.