4 ms·

I can't help but read this headline in light of the Equifax ("Equihax") story also on the front page today. "Tracking without consent" seems an odd reason for a

by hbosch 9y ago

I can't help but read this headline in light of the Equifax ("Equihax") story also on the front page today. "Tracking without consent" seems an odd reason for a government to crack down on a business. Perhaps Google and Facebook, in Europe, aren't allowed to "track without consent" – but other companies can and do. Not just Amazon, as a direct comparison, but apparently credit bureaus and the government themselves are allowed to track me without my consent. I generally agree that "tracking without consent" is invasive, but if a government is going to use it as a way to extort tech companies for fines I would appreciate a little more consistency in who is being called out.

germanier 9y ago
Details are obviously different in each country but around here in Germany credit bureaus can't track you without consent. It's pretty hard to avoid giving that if you want to interact with banks and other companies but it definitely is possible if you are careful about what you do. Of course if you decide not to grant that consent many companies will not do business with you. Not sure what your point about Amazon is, of course the same rule applies to them as to anyone else. The government itself has very strict rules about what data can be collected and accessed. Unfortunately those rules are sometimes violated (especially in the intelligence space). At work we have some private data we need to perform our tasks of tens of millions of people. However, that data is regularly pruned and purged on a defined schedule so that we never have more than we strictly need. That's in stark contrast to what e.g. Facebook does which apparently holds onto every bit of data they have ever collected about anyone in case it might be profitable to use at some point.
la_oveja 9y ago
In Spain "credit bureaus" can't track you if you don't sign up for it. But on the other side, banks and other establishments can share a list of "unpaid debtors", which disappearing from is kinda difficult.

by hbosch 9y ago

germanier 9y ago

Details are obviously different in each country but around here in Germany credit bureaus can't track you without consent. It's pretty hard to avoid giving that if you want to interact with banks and other companies but it definitely is possible if you are careful about what you do. Of course if you decide not to grant that consent many companies will not do business with you. Not sure what your point about Amazon is, of course the same rule applies to them as to anyone else. The government itself has very strict rules about what data can be collected and accessed. Unfortunately those rules are sometimes violated (especially in the intelligence space). At work we have some private data we need to perform our tasks of tens of millions of people. However, that data is regularly pruned and purged on a defined schedule so that we never have more than we strictly need. That's in stark contrast to what e.g. Facebook does which apparently holds onto every bit of data they have ever collected about anyone in case it might be profitable to use at some point.

la_oveja 9y ago

In Spain "credit bureaus" can't track you if you don't sign up for it. But on the other side, banks and other establishments can share a list of "unpaid debtors", which disappearing from is kinda difficult.