I would assume it’s mostly ads for tourist places or local attractions at your destination

Last time I had my phone plugged in to charge it, I noticed that it wasn’t on charge mode exclusively, but it was actually on File Share Mode.

Now I don’t know if the airplane was able to instigate that connection mode, or why my phone was on that mode, but it did concern me incredibly that they were able to browse the files on my phone, when I just wanted it to charge.

They know your name. That’s usually enough.

Oh please. It’s 2024, and you’re still wondering how a company knows who you are? The plane knows who is sitting on which seat, unless you change seats, and the airline has, at least: you email, your credit card, name, address, gender, age, nacionality, origin and destination. From there, they can ask a number of data brokers for more information like purchase habits, health, wheather you have children, your field of work, etc etc. Even if it’s one’s of those flights without assigned seats, there are cameras in the cabin. It would be pretty easy to face ID who is sitting where.

My hope is that there wouldn’t be anything more personal about it than age, sex, and location… But I am sure there’s a lot more that even an airline (businesses that tend to be decades behind in systems they run) can get

The “media network” is https://kinectivemedia.com/ and they have a link for US customers to opt out that leads to here https://uniteddigital.iad1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_88OQmAbr20oeHn8 but of course you’re going to want to also read Qualtrics privacy policy before using their services https://www.qualtrics.com/privacy-statement/

Clicking https://kinectivemedia.com/ privacy policy links to https://www.united.com/en/us/fly/customer-data-privacy-policy.html

They collect the usual stuff you use for travel like name, address, payment details, biometrics, I.D etc and also

Information collected in your use of our mobile application(s) includes, but is not limited to:

• With your consent, your pinpointed physical location information from technologies like GPS, Wi-Fi, or cell tower proximity (geo-location tracking)

• With your consent, while at or near certain airports in the U.S., your pinpointed physical location will be tracked continuously to provide you location-based offers, services and other information. For more information, see the Location Services FAQ located on the side menu of the United App;

• Your domain name;

• Device ID or alternative ID where required by the platform provider;

• Electronic data concerning operating systems and computing devices/browser, including types;

• Features you use and links you click;

• Amount of time spent in the application;

• Installs and uninstalls;

• Transaction details and history.

We may combine this information with information that we already have collected about you.

We collect information about you from third parties. If you make a reservation through a travel agent, we will obtain your travel information from that agent. We may also obtain information about you from our marketing partners, advertisers and other third parties.

We primarily use your information, including personal information, to provide our services to you and to fulfill your requests. In certain circumstances, such as for advertising purposes, we combine your information with other information that we have about you, that is publicly available and/or that we have obtained from third parties (either individually or in the aggregate)

We also use your information for the following purposes:

For marketing and advertising. United uses your information, consistent with applicable law, individually, in the aggregate, and/or combined with demographic information that we maintain or collect from third parties, for marketing and advertising purposes (via email, direct mail, telephone, web or other electronic advertising) and to send you news and newsletters. Specifically, information that we collect about you may be used to send you email, direct mail, or telephone communications about offers from United, its partners or other third parties, that might be of interest to you (please see the section on Disclosing your information below and the section on Changing your marketing preferences below). We also use your information to determine appropriate advertising channels and venues and to place ads on such channels and venues, including placing advertising on social networking sites.

I’m sure the money they make from this will subsidies flight costs that will be passed on to the end user for cheaper flight!

You seriously can’t understand how they would have personal data on you that every other company already has?

I think they can retain customers’ past flight records and maybe list of media played in flights. That said it’s almost guaranteed some ad marketing corpo is behind, and EULA is always vague enough to allow sharing external party…

Data brokers sell the info. Its hardly private

Probably when you book from browser cookies?

You could get around this but 99% of people won’t.

Yeah. This. This is what will send me to live in a commune.

Flying is still the safest mode of travel.

That sort of thing’s not my bag, baby!

You & me both, friend.

Naw, they’ll find some way to “incentivize” (punish you for not) viewing ads and enforce it with eye tracking.

Hmmm, yeah, see? This is why they shouldn’t be allowed to call the ads they have now, “personalized” when they’re really not.

We paid for cable and streaming services too. They’ll milk us to dust, then run ads on the remaining pile.

Afaik it’s a thin margin sector. I’ve even heard of pilots paying to fly during bad periods.