[I WAS the One]

iTunes 8 it's great and I love everything about it, but why I need to share my data info everytime I use the Genius option? Why it can't be optional, I mean one thing don't need to be atached to the other... I love the option but sharing my files is what I don't like... is there an option to block that data sharing and still use the Genius option? any plugin? I'll buy it now. Any ideas?

[TETENAL]

You are not sharing your files, you are sharing your listening habits. Obviously if nobody would do that, the Genius couldn't create suggestions.

Apple promises to process the listening habits anonymously. You will have to live with that if you want to use the Genius feature.

It also doesn't "always" send your data. It does so once a week.

[Maflynn]

If iTunes does not send what songs you have and/or your listening habits how can the genius work? By its very nature and design the iTunes genius needs to know some information.

As for being optional,I believe it is. You have to turn on the genius and agree to the fact that you're sending information.

[I WAS the One]

BUt it's the same thing PANDORA does... and it not taking any info from me.... you know? Why it need to know that, I think it's better doing the job based on genres and bpm... don't you think? more like a smart shuffle...

[slpdLoad]

Pandora is taking information from you. They know what types of stations you are creating, and how you rate/skip songs. It's the same thing. Knowing what the average user's library is like and what their habits are is the basis for any algorithm of this type.

[zombie punk]

I don't really get how it knows whether I like the songs in the library - I guess it would use ratings if I used them, but there is a bunch of stuff in my library that I don't like.

[CatOne]

Play count maybe? Presumably you play stuff you like more often than stuff you don't like ;-)

[zombie punk]

Well, you'd think, and perhaps I need two iTunes libraries, but I use iTunes to manage assets that are not only my personal music collection.

[TETENAL]

Genius creates playlists of songs that go well together, not songs you like. If you want to prefer songs you like, you need to rate them and use the Party Shuffle feature. You can use a Genius playlist as source for that.

[WhalinWilly]

I think it gives Apple and others your preferences of music.... But it also lets them know what you have downloaded from Limewire etc. I just see more Restrictions ...

 Bill

[Chuckit]

Apple has no way of knowing what you've downloaded illegally and, assuming the data really is anonymized, no idea who you are anyway.

[- - e r i k - -]

I really don't see why this is a problem. I track my listening habits publicly and non-anonymously.

So what if someone finds out my guilty pleasures?

[analogika]

The information is completely anonymized (as per the EULA), so there is no way to track the massive playcount of "Barbie Girl" to you, erik.

Nor could they legally tie unauthorized downloads to your identity, EVEN IF they had any way of distinguishing them (which they don't), because their own EULA is very specific and very limited about what they're allowed to do with the data.


They track which songs you hear together, how often, what your playlists look like, etc., and combine that information with your iTunes Store buying habits and the same info from every other Genius user worldwide, and their own pre-existing database, to determine which songs are likely to go well with what you're using to generate a Genius playlist.

This information may be used ONLY in anonymized form, ONLY by Apple itself, and ONLY to recommend products and services to you and other Genius users who opt into this function (by showing the Genius sidebar or using the Genius playlist service in iTunes).

[- - e r i k - -]

I know that iTunes work that way. I was more referring to http://last.fm/user/erikveland

[analogika]

I assumed that you knew that. Only the first part of my post was directed at you.

[I WAS the One]

Originally Posted by WhalinWilly 

I think it gives Apple and others your preferences of music.... But it also lets them know what you have downloaded from Limewire etc. I just see more Restrictions ...

 Bill

See? that's what I'm afraid of.. At the end, they are getting info from your computer and not about what music you like or not.. I think they want to peek inside every Mac to know something.... paranoid?

[- - e r i k - -]

The music that you have downloaded from Limewire or wherever is not TAGGED with a special pirate tag. There's no way they can distinguish your illegal downloads from what you have imported from CD.

[Lebensmuede]

Originally Posted by I WAS the One 

See? that's what I'm afraid of.. At the end, they are getting info from your computer and not about what music you like or not.. I think they want to peek inside every Mac to know something.... paranoid?

The only way Genius will work properly and safely is to wear a tin foil hat every time you activate the feature...

[DCJ001]

Originally Posted by I WAS the One 

iTunes 8 it's great and I love everything about it, but why I need to share my data info everytime I use the Genius option? Why it can't be optional, I mean one thing don't need to be atached to the other... I love the option but sharing my files is what I don't like... is there an option to block that data sharing and still use the Genius option? any plugin? I'll buy it now. Any ideas?

Well, if you don't like sharing that data, you probably won't like sharing your IP address, ISP, computer type and browser type with us. I've put it all on the sign below for everyone to see:

[I WAS the One]

Originally Posted by DCJ001 

Well, if you don't like sharing that data, you probably won't like sharing your IP address, ISP, computer type and browser type with us. I've put it all on the sign below for everyone to see:

lol thats great! I'm copying it to use it too! lol

I just wanted to know about the info or/and database of your tracks and stuff like that. I know that just to enjoy the net your ip info its exposed.