Can eSizing Clothes, Bare Personal Info? 13
jwater asks: "As we become more entrenched into a digital economy, do companies like eZsize and TheRightSize, who are discussed in
this article from Wired News, seem to make sense? Would you use these ideas to buy a 'fitting' gift for your wife/husband/boyfriend/girlfriend this Christmas season? Customization seems like the next big wave for e-business, but are you willing to sacrifice the personal information to make such concepts take off?" A certain degree of personal information is necessary for the production of customized commercial items, but how should those commercial entities treat and protect your data, and what penalties should they risk if they fail?
Big Brother is watching (Score:1)
think targeted "want to lose xLB in 2 days?" emails.
But then again, I'm just a parainoied freak, dont pay me any mind.
It could be abused... (Score:2)
Re:It could be abused... (Score:2)
Although this is turning into a slippery slope argument, I must wonder how far this can go?
Think about it, Website A has your pants size. Website B has your real name and address. Website C has a large log of the things you like to buy from their online shopping. Website D has a collection of what type of p0rn you like to surf for....
Websites A,B,C and D sell their information to some "spamhaus" that creates a database that is able to correlate all the information from the sites back to you. Now mass marketers have access to information in a singular database that you are not aware of.
If this happens, where does your privacy go??
Any malicious individual (or just a plain "marketer") now has access to a collection of things that you thought were private details.
Its not the pants alone that is the issue, its the possiblity that your pants data can be correlated with your surfing habits etc...
We seem to be forgetting... (Score:2)
We seem to be forgetting that every time you buy pants, the cashier has FULL ACCESS to your personal inseam information! Or how about the tailor? Do people still get custom clothes made? I should think so. The tailor not only gets your inseam measurement, but also *gasp* your WAIST SIZE!
We also seem to be forgetting that on certain brands of jeans, the size is printed on the OUTSIDE of the pants, where ANYONE can see it.
Yes I'm being sarcastic, but is it really worth complaining that some small e-tailer MIGHT be collecting 'personal' information like neck measurements?
Re:It could be abused... (Score:2)
then what happens?
THEY SEND YOU ADVERTISING PRE-FORMATTED WITH YOUR PANT SIZE!
so what?
you need advanced face-obscuration technology... (Score:2)
Re:It could be abused... (Score:1)
I just realized... (Score:1)
can see my face.
Dear slashdot, what can I do to
stop them invading my privacy.
z.
Re:It could be abused... (Score:1)
The issue as I mentioned previously is not your pants size alone. Its a correlation of all the data. By itself, the pants data is probably harmless.
The question then becomes do you want people to know a ton of your private personal details?
Your answer to this is probably: "I don't care, I have nothing to hide."
Really?
What is your pants size?
What is your home mailing address?
What are your phone numbers?
How old are you?
What sex are you?
How often do you brush your teeth?
How often do you have sex?
How many people have you had sex with??
Have you ever had homosexual sex?
Have you ever fantisized about it?
What is your favorite type of porn, and how often do you masturbate to it?
What are the names and addresses of your previous/current sexual partners so that we can contact them and get their opinion on your sexual prowess?
Now, my suggestions are getting outrageous right?
But you must see my point that there are some things that *YOU* don't want the world at large to know. If you fill out enough of these little tidbits in enough little areas it is possible that this information could end up in a centralized database with some pretty interesting statistics on you.
Just imagine what would happen if an estranged individual got ahold of THAT information.
why/how is the useful? (Score:2)
Jeans are jeans, I can buy them at wal-mart just as good as you, and they look and function the same no matter where they come from. So why would the matter. For t-shirts anyone who knows me can guess correctly what size will fit me, likewise sweaters.
I don't want someone else buying my underware, and all the girls I know feel the same way. That is private, only husbands/wives can consider buying that, and they can just come home early and read the labels in my drawer if they don't know. Everyone else has no buisness caring what my underware looks like.
For suits, the only way to buy one is to have a professional taylor make one to fit just me (If you can arrange a buisness trip to Thiland this is affordable too!). So please don't buy me this either. Nooses are a different story, if you must buy me a tie, you will discover that size isn't a factor.
Then again I've always belived that clothing should cover the relavent body parts, provide warmth, and not be uncomfortable. I've reluctantly agreed not to wear my oil and paint stained shirt with the holes in to work, but I don't see why it matters. I sometimes put my shirts on inside out, and it doesn't bother me at all.
Re:you need advanced face-obscuration technology.. (Score:1)
Sounds like a great opportunity for haxors (Score:1)
You could find all the perfectly proportioned women that are in your area! Woo-hoo!
Of course, if you're a breast man, you could jsut grep on 38, or 40, etc.
Vested interest (Score:3)
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