I worked at a very hip startup that was once on the move but then had crested and was on the slight decline.
1/

I was running a team of people who did video conferencing. They were really good at it, and I didn't know anything about the technology. One of the tricks I sometimes use in management is to shut up when I don't know anything.
2/
it was IT in a different gear than I'd seen before
e.g. your wiring had to be perfect, there would be decisions by people that required insane costs &
white gloves
3/
a day or two after they announce earnings, they want to do an All Hands where the CEO, CFO and various bigwigs claim credit for the smart work of their teams.
4/
This team runs that conference setup. It's a big deal and a lot of work, and this was the first one I'd run by myself. None of the old leaders
5/
In reality, of course, I didn't run a goddamn thing. C_____ was an expert at running a conference setup and it was going silky smooth. I did press a button that kept the stream from going down. Go me 😊
6/
As the largely conventionally pretty and hip employees walk in, the lights go berserk and they have loud bass heavy music to hype everyone up.
7/
https://t.co/Q8tf0zJYdF
If I recall it right, it was Video Phone by Beyoncé
8/
I get back to my desk after doing sweaty work in my nice clothes, and there's a scathing email from H______. She's an HR woman on the move, and my boss' boss is being asked to account for what's being said in the song.
9/
This is before #metoo, so nothing like that. Just an HR worker on the way up asking questions about sexism in the workplace. I recall thinking it was fair play. So I go to ask C_____ just to have my facts straight.
10/
I bring it up to C_____ and he stares at me blankly.
"That's a playlist we've used for five years."
2009ish checks out.
11/12
I had to write this contortionist both apology, and "say, fuck off with that shit."
12/12

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Recently, the @CNIL issued a decision regarding the GDPR compliance of an unknown French adtech company named "Vectaury". It may seem like small fry, but the decision has potential wide-ranging impacts for Google, the IAB framework, and today's adtech. It's thread time! 👇

It's all in French, but if you're up for it you can read:
• Their blog post (lacks the most interesting details):
https://t.co/PHkDcOT1hy
• Their high-level legal decision: https://t.co/hwpiEvjodt
• The full notification: https://t.co/QQB7rfynha

I've read it so you needn't!

Vectaury was collecting geolocation data in order to create profiles (eg. people who often go to this or that type of shop) so as to power ad targeting. They operate through embedded SDKs and ad bidding, making them invisible to users.

The @CNIL notes that profiling based off of geolocation presents particular risks since it reveals people's movements and habits. As risky, the processing requires consent — this will be the heart of their assessment.

Interesting point: they justify the decision in part because of how many people COULD be targeted in this way (rather than how many have — though they note that too). Because it's on a phone, and many have phones, it is considered large-scale processing no matter what.