this post was submitted on 29 Apr 2024
219 points (97.8% liked)

Privacy

31992 readers
365 users here now

A place to discuss privacy and freedom in the digital world.

Privacy has become a very important issue in modern society, with companies and governments constantly abusing their power, more and more people are waking up to the importance of digital privacy.

In this community everyone is welcome to post links and discuss topics related to privacy.

Some Rules

Related communities

Chat rooms

much thanks to @gary_host_laptop for the logo design :)

founded 5 years ago
MODERATORS
 

So I joined a new gym last year and was pleasantly surprised. They gave me a smart card to get in and out, that's it, no app, no accounts, no nothing. Well, today I got to the gym and saw the announcement that they are phasing out the access with the smart card and starting to use, you guessed it, an app.

Now, I know this is not such a big deal in the grand scheme of things. But I'm just tired of this trend of replacing perfectly functioning systems with apps (public transport tickets come to mind). Just more ways to harvest people's data, I guess...

Ah and by the way, in my previous gym they not only required an app for accessing the place, they also incentivized people to track their workouts, meals and bodyweight using the gym's app (of course I never used any of these features).

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] originalfrozenbanana@lemm.ee 91 points 6 months ago (4 children)

And they will say you can’t go to the gym, then. I agree this is enshittification but this isn’t a magic trick that lets you bypass the app

[–] nexas_XIII@lemm.ee 54 points 6 months ago (1 children)

It’s not, but I pushed back on my gym and they got me a barcode key tag. The app just shows a barcode anyway so I lucked out. I took a picture of the barcode and use that to get into the gym. Doesn’t hurt to try

[–] Grandwolf319@sh.itjust.works 10 points 6 months ago

Doing that makes it so they need to support the old system since some people keep asking for it. All I’m saying is, your actions help so thank you!

[–] brbposting@sh.itjust.works 20 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Assume they’d let ask you to have staff let you in every time, same as someone whose battery died. Pretty soon they’d recognize you and quickly buzz/wave you along, I figure.

[–] johnyma22@lemmy.ml 6 points 6 months ago

That's how I play the game, you get on first name basis with people too that way..

[–] IllNess@infosec.pub 14 points 6 months ago (1 children)

This isn't a magic trick. This is more about pushing and seeing how far they would bend.

Like what you said, if all else it's a way out of the stupid agreements with gyms.

[–] originalfrozenbanana@lemm.ee -3 points 6 months ago (1 children)

That isn’t how contracts work

[–] IllNess@infosec.pub 5 points 6 months ago (2 children)

So if you can't get in a gym because of a technology they added after you signed, they will just continue to charge you?

That's what you think will happen?

[–] realbadat@programming.dev 3 points 6 months ago

Knowing corporate gyms.... Probably.

[–] originalfrozenbanana@lemm.ee 2 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (1 children)

Yes that’s absolutely what will happen. They likely have language in the contract you signed allowing them to do just that.

You are paying for access to the gym. They don’t have to provide you access via a card or a list or an app - they probably specify that they can refuse access for a variety of reasons, including “safety and privacy” or some shit they can shoehorn an app into. You don’t have a legal right to access a place via the mechanism you choose.

[–] IllNess@infosec.pub 3 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Looking online at similar situations people had their membership canceled by management. Other cases showed bring able to enter by a phone number, by their old tag, or ID verification. Looks like it happened for people whose app kept on crashing or a work phone that wouldn't allow installs.

Which gym would just keep charging you if you said you can't get in?

[–] originalfrozenbanana@lemm.ee -2 points 6 months ago (1 children)

I never said they’d charge you, I said they wouldn’t just let you in.

[–] Notyou@sopuli.xyz 3 points 6 months ago (1 children)

You literally said Yes when he asked that question earlier. We can all read it.

[–] originalfrozenbanana@lemm.ee 2 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Ah I missed the part where you said “and charge you.” There’s nothing in contracts like these that says the gym has to let you identify yourself in any way you choose and I don’t see why you think there would be.

[–] Notyou@sopuli.xyz 2 points 6 months ago (1 children)

I'm guessing he was referring to the actual practice of a gym doing something like that. I'm sure there is whatever statement in the gym contract that says that they can change access. I wouldn't know. I just use the gym in my apartment.

In practice, most businesses will work to accommodate you if there is a change like this and you can't adapt. Someone else mentioned that their gym has an app and it doesn't work all the time and have to use fobs still. Most managers will work with a customer and take care of the few that need extra attention.

[–] originalfrozenbanana@lemm.ee 0 points 6 months ago

Most gym employees don’t have that level of discretion in the US at least. Most gyms I’m aware of are franchises and asking a wage employee to go against their corporate policies risks their livelihood.

[–] GolfNovemberUniform@lemmy.ml 1 points 6 months ago (1 children)
[–] originalfrozenbanana@lemm.ee 3 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Isn’t what illegal? They are allowed to determine how you access their gym.

[–] GolfNovemberUniform@lemmy.ml 1 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Making apps mandatory. Idk about the US but I'm pretty sure here it's illegal

[–] sexy_peach@beehaw.org 6 points 6 months ago (1 children)

They're not a government institution providing necessary services, so I think it's legal pretty much everywhere. Same with places accepting payment by card only.

[–] GolfNovemberUniform@lemmy.ml 2 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Idk. I've never seen a card-only place here so I guess they're illegal too. Even if there are such places, you can easily find ones that accept cash and don't require apps. You all just live in such enshittificated places that you can't believe in the existence of much better ones I guess

[–] sexy_peach@beehaw.org 3 points 6 months ago (1 children)

It's not like that here. Most accept cash and I think gyms are still "normal"