Monday 3 August 2020

Joined up government - a waitress speaks.

Her Indoors and I ventured out for breakfast yesterday.

The waitress asked us to download their chain's app so that we could make our orders online. She returned a few minutes later with her notepad to take our orders anyway. Which was a good start.

She also asked one of us to do the track-and-trace nonsense. Her Indoors duly did it (and entered her real name and address, duh), but that was pointless too because the waitress didn't actually ask for confirmation that either of us had.

I showed the waitress the other apps which Playstore recommended after I'd downloaded the restaurant's app, which were all stuff like "how to count your calories", "fitness tracker" and so on, which I found quite chucklesome.

She said that nothing made sense any more. Her restaurant was doing the "eat out to help out" offer, starting today (i.e. tomorrow at the time this happened) but at the same time, the government was telling people not to socialise too much and doing the usual anti-obesity propaganda, the latest iteration being telling fat people that they are more likely to die if they catch covid-19.

I agreed of course, and gave her the counter example of long distance flyers being hit with higher Air Passenger Duty but getting money off alcohol and tobacco in the duty free shops before they board.

(I then deleted their app again, seeing as I didn't need it.)

11 comments:

Bill Sticker said...

Yes, something the powers that be forget is that the apps they want everyone to slavishly use can easily be deleted.

Shiney said...

@BS

At the moment... but soon they'll be embedded in the operating system and you'll be unable to switch them off, let alone delete them..

Mark Wadsworth said...

BS, believing that people don't know how to delete apps is not even joined up government. It's stupid.

Sh, there's always a way to hack these things.

mombers said...

I really don't think it's a big ask to register for track and trace. We have GDPR to protect against any misuse of data - massive fines. A good alternative to an app is just to give your phone number. I'm not all that keen on a second lockdown, what's the alternative to track and trace to keep it under control?

Eat out to help out is a very expensive and admin heavy way to support restaurants. Just abolish VAT instead

Shiney said...

@m

"I really don't think it's a big ask to register for track and trace. We have GDPR to protect against any misuse of data - massive fines"

ROFL in kidspeak.

Mark Wadsworth said...

M, if the restaurant asks for my phone number, I'm happy to give it to them.

Agreed on VAT. To be fair, they did reduce it to 5%. Why not go the whole hog and make them exempt?

Mark Wadsworth said...

Sh, does anybody care any more? 'They' can track my Oyster card (or could, pre-lockdown), where I use a debit card, my mobile phone, there's ANPR, my Google searches and what sites I visit, they can read my blog for free, they're working on face recognition etc.

You don't find the needle by piling more hay on the hay stack.

mombers said...

Sh, I would want to know if I was at a pub with someone who had COVID19 and the various programs are a great way to do this. I don't think that it's against the law to give false info for track and trace or even if you are obliged to, so anyone who is concerend about being tracked can opt out. So a pretty good system in my opinion. The more people who participate the better but not feasible or desirable to make it compulsory.

Shiney said...

@MW and @M

I was just ROFL at the idea that GDPR protects anybody against misuse of data..... esp by govt.

Graeme said...

Re GDPR, the obvious effect is extra complexity when you browse a corporate website. I have no idea what the benefits are even supposed to be. However it is clearly a tax. Look at the huge fines that get levied. Why not just badge it as a tax and give up on the claims that it is about protecting data?

Mark Wadsworth said...

G, nobody knows what GDPR is all about. It's a load of crap if you ask me.