December 16, 2015

- Place filters: such as current location, home or work address, and any saved points of interest, power “location-based services”. Mobile companies that power these services have transformed our lives profoundly. People no longer need to decipher maps to go places or rely on local insiders for cool restaurants.
- People filters: such as address books and social plug-ins, make it easy for us to connect with people we want to, as well as protect us from those we don’t. Mobile companies use people filters to help us share e.g. information/photos with small groups of friends or attendees of an event, and remind us about friend’s birthday’s,
- Policy filters: such as privacy rules, terms and conditions, and other legalese, govern how users’ information can and should be used. These filters protect members of a community from threats like government watch, and nuisances like unsolicited advertising. Mobile companies are often forced by laws and regulations to implement and enforce them.
- Popularity filters: such as reviews and ratings, establish and protect users’ reputations. They facilitate the informal vetting process we go through as we become accepted by a group or community. They express the respect others have for our skills, tastes, values, and opinions. They are often used by mobile companies to ensure that members of their community play by the rules.
- Permission filters: such as opt-in/opt-out features and abuse reports, regulate how others can impact us. They are especially important because many of us never disconnect from our mobile products. (One of my friends dared to spend a month free of technology and hated it: he said he felt anxious and isolated as a result). Permission filters give us power over what others do with our data, and set the boundaries for how they can communicate with us.