Comments on: Lessons from Path and Pinterest: Tell users everything

By: Trace Cohen

Trace Cohen — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 15:23:58 +0000

Comparing Path and Pinterest is like apples and oranges. Path took personal information without asking and then in a PR move tried to cover it up by saying that they were working on it. Pinterest on the other hand is testing out a business model that doesn’t take personal information without asking. If anything, it will help generate income for users and themselves to continue to grow and keep the service free.

By: Ralph Haygood

Ralph Haygood — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 23:27:34 +0000

That’s simply ridiculous. Deleting an account should be trivial. I strongly suspect those “customer service representatives” were lying.

I make web and phone apps (e.g., CardVine). I never pull stunts like what these companies have done, not only not only because I find them icky but also because it’s obvious to me they’re bad for business – users will find out, and they will be angry. I’m beginning to think maybe I and some other like-minded entrepreneurs should get together and write a sort of manifesto about how to do privacy right, to counter the sleaziness of so many in the industry. Contrary to what one often hears in Silicon Valley, privacy isn’t dead or impractical, it just doesn’t go well with the business models of many companies.

By: Paul B

Paul B — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 18:43:05 +0000

I asked Path unambiguously to delete my information from their servers in November, and they told me they couldn’t! The first customer service rep said my account had been “closed,” but left the door open for me to “enable” my account again — meaning that they were keeping my data. The second rep told me that the company’s “internal tools” don’t allow them to delete accounts at all, but that mine would be added to a list that they’d delete someday. He said they’d e-mail me when they could do that, but they haven’t yet.

Deleting Path from your phone won’t get your data off their servers, but it’s a start. For my part, I’m not interested in giving that company any more information about me — ever. It’s a pretty app, I suppose, but Path simply doesn’t deserve my trust.

By: Covers

Covers — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 16:50:38 +0000

Personally speaking, I deleted Path from my iPhone and have asked my friends to do the same. This is a scumbag move pure and simple. Apple needs to take some action against these guys otherwise their TOS is just complete BS. First, it’s wrong to outright steal the data off the phone, second it’s against Apple’s TOS.

I see no reason why they should get away with this. The Path app needs to disappear from the app store pure. Period. If it doesn’t then why does Apple even bother having a TOS?