OnX hypocrisy

[jmez]

Best alternative app/map system?

Gaia

Sent from my moto g power 5G - 2023 using Tapatalk

 

[Z71&Gun]

I use OnX because everyone else does. But I was also thinking about how many honeyholes are stored on OnX servers, and how they might start to monetize that.

Buying prime land and starting your own outfitting business using private data exploitation is the exact best move to dominate the hunting industry.

This makes me sad, but also powerless...

This is a great point. It makes me consider ulterior motives to the free and discount subscriptions they give to outfitters/influencers, etc.

Like, maybe that data is valuable enough to justify the lack of a subscription fee. So valuable, in fact, that they would like to give out as many of those free subs as they can.

 

[justinspicher]

I’m glad I know how to use a paper map. Those are really cheap.

 

[Hnthrdr]

Thought about this before and it’s been discussed on other forums… what is stopping on-X from gathering meta data, ie finding and boiling down all the elk pins or wallow pins in a said unit. Would be very easy for them and would essentially boil down years of knowledge into a few glances to know exactly where to look. Also what is stopping them from doing it? How tempting would it be if you were a onx employee with a good draw tag or even an otc in say Co… just a few minutes and you would know exactly where to focus your efforts

 

[Hnthrdr]

About get get the tin foil hat out… paper maps and compasses from here on out… or maybe just the handheld

 

[Brontosaurus]

I think the whole concept of compiling waypoints is fascinating. It would be so easy to do it. As well we never hear about these companies bragging that they protect your information. So they must not?

 

[Elmer J. Fudd]

I’m sure somewhere in the fine we print we either agree to give them access to our waypoints and any saved data or give them the option to change the terms of the subscription agreement at any time. Not sure. I know I don’t generally read the fine print

 

[Leverwalker]

Pretty much a dinosaur, guys. Only subscribed to On X a few months back. Don't even really need it for where my son and I currently hunt - WI northwoods. Offline topos and waypointing the car are handy but not needed (my paper topos are marked up). Just want to make sure I'm understanding correctly. Is the issue that OnX or its CEO ostensibly have the mission to promulgate public land access, while in the background they are securing leases to access points on, well, public land, possibly setting up to choke some access off, pounce on honey holes or prime areas and possibly monetize that info?

 

[Elmer J. Fudd]

What I am saying is we probably give them our permission to use the information we collect to use in any way they see fit.

 

[YellCoAR]

I understand how people can worry about way points marked. I just think trying to gather any valuable information would be quite the task. My buddy drops way points every time he sees anything. It might be a cool rock, where he say a fish or really anything. We all know game animals move around a lot during the year. My guess would be public hunting land would be so littered with pins you could not gain any advantage. We all know the unit we have a tag for and are limited to the public land in it.

 

[ProbablyHunting]

Gaia

Sent from my moto g power 5G - 2023 using Tapatalk

I used to use Gaia. At least OnX is a pro-hunting company. Gaia is owned by Outside, Inc. https://www.outsideinc.com/brands/

 

[wesfromky]

If you want to read the fine print - https://www.onxmaps.com/privacy-policy

"The personal content you submit to the Service (waypoints, tracks, etc.) belongs to you, and you may choose to share it with other users through the Service. onXmaps does not disclose individual account data with other users or third parties unless we’re legally compelled to do so."

Also https://www.onxmaps.com/tou

 

[AZ_Hunter_2000]

I understand how people can worry about way points marked. I just think trying to gather any valuable information would be quite the task. My buddy drops way points every time he sees anything. It might be a cool rock, where he say a fish or really anything. We all know game animals move around a lot during the year. My guess would be public hunting land would be so littered with pins you could not gain any advantage. We all know the unit we have a tag for and are limited to the public land in it.

Much easier that you envision to take that user's Onyx data, potentially combined with other data you agreed to give up when you installed the Onyx map combined with other users' Onyx data, etc to get a pretty good idea of what to do and when to do it.

It is not that tall of a task.

 

[swavescatter]

If you want to read the fine print - https://www.onxmaps.com/privacy-policy

"The personal content you submit to the Service (waypoints, tracks, etc.) belongs to you, and you may choose to share it with other users through the Service. onXmaps does not disclose individual account data with other users or third parties unless we’re legally compelled to do so."

Also https://www.onxmaps.com/tou

Ok. So they can shared aggregated data - I.E. crowd proven honey holes with other entities. Also, they're free to use individual account data within the company.

Good thing I'm a terrible hunter and screw up their algorithms.

 

[AZ_Hunter_2000]

When folks decided to use smart phones, they made a conscious decision to give up their privacy in exchange for convenience. Combine that with folks' blind acceptant of the app's ToS and nothing on your phone is technically your's (in an awful lot of scenarios).

 

[wesfromky]

Ok. So they can shared aggregated data - I.E. crowd proven honey holes with other entities. Also, they're free to use individual account data within the company.

Good thing I'm a terrible hunter and screw up their algorithms.

In theory, they can just change the ToS/Privacy policy and auction off waypoints if they want. But, I would guess that OnX has a significant financial incentive to not sell data or have data stolen, as it would likely result in everyone leaving the app.

To me, the bigger risk would be if they are sold and the new owners decide to cash out vs keep the product going.

 

[Tod osier]

I understand how people can worry about way points marked. I just think trying to gather any valuable information would be quite the task. My buddy drops way points every time he sees anything. It might be a cool rock, where he say a fish or really anything. We all know game animals move around a lot during the year. My guess would be public hunting land would be so littered with pins you could not gain any advantage. We all know the unit we have a tag for and are limited to the public land in it.

I would be willing to bet it is really easy to tell the signature of a kill using the onx data. I don't label much, since I'm pretty suspicious of my data being used, but I also know that kills probably end up in some pretty distinctive pin drops and tracks even if not labeled.

 

[TylerTheTerrible]

I am generally familiar with the region this is in.... those spots look inaccessible via any county roads. Are you implying that there used to be BMAs that opened access to them? Also one of them actually is accessible without even having Type 2 permission...

I am not seeing what you're seeing.

 

[swavescatter]

When folks decided to use smart phones, they made a conscious decision to give up their privacy in exchange for convenience. Combine that with folks' blind acceptant of the app's ToS and nothing on your phone is technically your's (in an awful lot of scenarios).

As technology becomes essential to everyday life (I.e. internet and smart phones to access essential services), the government has a role to regulate that market to protect citizens from exploitation (what capitalism does best).

Technology has outpaced legislation in many ways. This is one of many instances.

Being able to simply wake up, go to school and get a job for 99.999% of our population requires the use of internet and smart devices in 2023. That shouldn't automatically require every citizen to relinquish the right to their personhood. At least not for free.

 

[Leverwalker]

When folks decided to use smart phones, they made a conscious decision to give up their privacy in exchange for convenience. Combine that with folks' blind acceptant of the app's ToS and nothing on your phone is technically your's (in an awful lot of scenarios).

Not to restate the obvious, but you mean v. stand-alone GPS units, right? Again, luddite - tech and I aren't friends. Something like a Garmin Montana, there's no similar danger as with a smart phone app like On X?