Is Pinterest Safe? I Read the Privacy Policy So You Don't Have To (Ep. 3). #Pinterest #AppPrivacy

Our Take

Credit to Mading Thok for doing the unglamorous work of actually reading a privacy policy most of us click through in two seconds. The findings here aren't shocking if you've followed this beat, but they're a good reminder: Pinterest's save buttons embedded across the web turn a recipe site into a tracking node, and the company's own policy leaves the door open to selling your data downstream. This is the same business logic that powers license plate reader networks — collect broadly, store indefinitely, monetize or share quietly, and let the public assume it's harmless because the stated purpose sounds benign.

We cover ALPRs specifically because cameras on poles are the physical-world version of this exact problem: data collected for one 'innocent' reason (finding stolen cars, curating outfit ideas) ends up pooled into databases that get sold, subpoenaed, or breached. The throughline from a Pinterest save button to a Flock camera on your street is the same — opaque policies, broad retention, and almost no meaningful consent. If you want to see how this plays out in your own neighborhood, check our camera map to find out what's already watching you.

Reviews like this one matter because they train people to ask the right question about every app and every camera: who gets this data, how long do they keep it, and what happens when it's sold or subpoenaed. That same skepticism is exactly what's needed to push back on unchecked ALPR expansion in your own town.