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Have you ever had more than a minor annoyance result from some company's use of your data? I understand the instinct and ick factor, but I've rarely seen an act
by moultano 10y ago
Have you ever had more than a minor annoyance result from some company's use of your data? I understand the instinct and ick factor, but I've rarely seen an actual practical consequence.
- bduerst 10y agoI've asked this question before and it is typically answered with nothing more than hypothetical "nightmare" scenarios.
- rickycook 10y agothere are plenty of situations that only exist in nightmare scenarios. that doesn't make them any less scary. someone brought up seat belts further up, and it's a decent example. why wear a seat belt? it only protects you in nightmare scenarios
- iteabagkevin2 10y agoWearing a seatbelt protects you in very real and measurable ways. Crashes happen many thousands of times per year. You can't say the same about your anonymous data being used.
- moultano 10y agoFatal car crashes are common, and car crashes that would have been fatal without a seatbelt are extremely common.
- bduerst 10y agoA seat belt protects you from real & practical scenarios, not just nightmare scenarios.
- shawn-butler 10y agoYou wouldn't know what the practical consequences are because you are entirely in the dark where the data goes. That is kind of the point.
- moultano 10y agoBy "practical consequence" I mean "something that has actually happened to you or someone you are aware of," not the worst case scenario of a dystopian vision.
- unimpressive 10y agoIf you get mysteriously denied a job, insurance, etc, you won't necessarily know. In fact, since you give out so much data about yourself so often, it's likely impossible for you to know who sold you out exactly or that you were sold out at all.
- eli 10y ago(As an aside, it is already illegal in the US to deny someone a job or insurance because of their DNA)
- ams6110 10y agoIt's not illegal to deny life insurance, AFAIK. And in many cases that's more important than health insurance. If I'm stricken with a terminal illness, health insurance won't do much for me. Life insurance could mean the difference between my family being OK or really struggling.
- bduerst 10y agoI'm not sure how that's relevant on meta data. Life insurance typically requires that you disclose up front if you have a terminal illness, and even if you do they can give you a graded life insurance policy.
- nommm-nommm 10y agoFYI the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 prohibits the use of genetic information in health insurance and employment.
- 10y ago
- discardorama 10y agoYou could say the same about, for example, the NSA wiretapping your calls and listening in on them. Until you get caught in some bizarre situation as a result, you'll be happily oblivious. But your rights are still being violated. That data (your profile) is yours, and yours alone. No one has the right to package it and sell it without your consent. Now, it is possible that you may feel gregarious and offer up your data; but that would be by choice.
- moultano 10y agoThe amount of harm that a government can do to you is virtually unlimited. The amount of harm most companies can do to you is very small and effectively restricted by the law, even in the very unlikely event that they have some incentive to harm their customers.
- tamana 10y agoThe insurance industry's entire profit model is based on harming their customers -- underpaying claims
- blacksmith_tb 10y agoMy impression was their profit model was collecting premiums from a very large number of customers, while only paying out a relatively small number of claims.
- colejohnson66 10y agoAdding to this comment, that's exactly why your rates go up when you get in an accident. Your "trustworthiness" has gone down and the insurance company might have to spend more on you in the long run.
- bduerst 10y agoSo the logic is that insurance companies intentionally cause accidents for their members, in order to increase premiums and increase their costs? That doesn't make any sense.