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Thread: Has anyone else seen the Tapatalk privacy stuff?

  1. #1

    Has anyone else seen the Tapatalk privacy stuff?

    So today when I got onto Tapatalk from my phone, it took me to a screen about their dissemination of information through third parties. Rather than blindly letting them do anything they wanted, I actually clicked on the "more information" choice. This took me to a screen that has no less than five separate sets of choices: Information storage and access, Personalization, Ad selection, deliver, reporting, Content selection, delivery, reporting and Measurement. Each has a link that says "Learn More & Set Preferences."

    When you click on one, it takes you to a list that must include at least 100 different companies. The list is pretty similar for all five data sets. There is a universal choice to either allow or not allow all. BUT, there are dozens of companies which don't have an individual button, but instead say you must opt out affirmatively, and gives you a link to click on. This means for each of the five sets, you'd have to do this individually for each one. It could probably take most of a full day. But it gets even better...some of the links take you to websites that are in foreign languages only (the first few I looked at included both Polish and German), with no choice I could see to pick a different language. Not very helpful if you're not fluent in multiple languages. Then, at least one of the links took me to a long page of legal terms that ultimately gave you no option to opt out unless you were in the EU or California (which now has a similar privacy law to the GDPR).

    I'm sure exposing this soft underbelly is only shocking to me because I've never seen it before, and it probably happens with lots of other websites I might visit on my computer (although most of those now have a very simple "opt out" right on their home screens), but I am not sure I want to continue using Tapatalk at all after seeing all of the companies they give data to, and realizing there's no simple way to opt out.

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  3. #2
    Member Pip's Avatar
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    What is it they say? On the internet, if you’re not paying then you are the product. It’s shoddy but it’s par for the course these days isn’t it?

    Thing that most pissed me off recently with crappytalk is the many times I tried to write my recent resto thread, which is quite long, and halfway through crappytalk would either completely freeze or just shut down, not saving any of the text or pictures. And bear in mind, I actually paid for the Pro version, which is not like me at all! In the end I had to do it on my laptop after force loading all the images to my Flickr and then copying all the picture links. Real pita!

    TLDR: crappytalk is shit but there is not a genuine alternative.

  4. #3
    I stopped posting anything with pictures through Tapatalk after they reduced the photo resolution for free users. I just use the web browser in my phone for the WRUW thread, and I've gotten used to it. I may just start using it all the time...

  5. #4
    Super Member Raza's Avatar
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    I’ve never used Tapatalk and this is just another reason not to.
    Read my latest IWL blog entry! An Ode To Rule Breaking

  6. #5
    El bot. geoffbot's Avatar
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    I get it, but I mean, what are they going to do? Email me adverts?
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  7. #6
    Quote Originally Posted by mlcor View Post
    I stopped posting anything with pictures through Tapatalk after they reduced the photo resolution for free users. I just use the web browser in my phone for the WRUW thread, and I've gotten used to it. I may just start using it all the time...
    How do you get the web browser to not rotate pictures?
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  8. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by geoffbot View Post
    I get it, but I mean, what are they going to do? Email me adverts?
    I don’t care about advertisements, but I do care about dozens of companies tracking everywhere I go on the web (even though I lead a very boring life).

  9. #8
    Quote Originally Posted by 93EXCivic View Post
    How do you get the web browser to not rotate pictures?
    I edit the pictures just a bit—crop them to make them a little smaller, and slightly taller than wide. Works every time.

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  11. #9
    El bot. geoffbot's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by mlcor View Post
    I don’t care about advertisements, but I do care about dozens of companies tracking everywhere I go on the web (even though I lead a very boring life).
    I don't see how Tapatalk could track your broswer activity? And again surely all they're going to do is try and sell you stuff like they already do.

    I use opera browser which has a built in vpn and ad blocker anyway
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  12. #10
    Quote Originally Posted by geoffbot View Post
    I don't see how Tapatalk could track your broswer activity? And again surely all they're going to do is try and sell you stuff like they already do.

    I use opera browser which has a built in vpn and ad blocker anyway
    You're probably right, It’s just a combination of my not being very sophisticated as to what they can do, and being startled by the sheer number and geographic breadth of companies they’re selling it to.

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