4 ms·
Would you say that then gives you the right to get the fingerprints off of the voucher and examine it for traces of other molecules, such as perfumes, cigarette
by dhimes 8y ago
Would you say that then gives you the right to get the fingerprints off of the voucher and examine it for traces of other molecules, such as perfumes, cigarette brands, or sexual activity? There are certain lines that people assume others won't cross. What we're finding is that people do cross those lines. Your example honors those lines. The problem, however, lies in what the companies that don't honor those lines are willing to do.
In the case of tech, most people have no idea how to even articulate what crossing those lines would mean in terms of the data they give up. If someone has a medical procedure, most of us assume that sharing that information is a line that shouldn't be crossed. We have laws that even prevent directly sharing the directly acquired information, and those laws make sense to people.
But when you say that the same information can be obtained in other, more roundabout ways, it's hard for them to conceptualize the risk. Companies can't back down because they have no compelling reason to argue against making that next dollar other than "it feels immoral."
That's why we need strong regulations. Strong regulations actually protect the honorable businesses by giving compelling reasons to not cross those lines.
- whatshisface 8y agoI'm not sure how you are going to get strong regulations passed (or even written) in an environment where "most people have no idea how to even articulate what crossing those lines would mean." The reason theft, libel and feeding poison directly to restaurant-goers are not options for companies are because the effects are immediate and everyone understands why they are bad. Slowly polluting the water supply, unlike feeding fast-acting poison directly to everyone, is not off-limits in practice because it is slow-acting and not everyone understands what is happening.
- dhimes 8y agoAgreed. Eventually, hopefully, people become educated. Unfortunately it seems to take knowing someone who knows someone who suffers directly to change these minds. But in the early stages it's freaking impossible. Even when someone on the 'inside' suggests changing things, such as Warren Buffet saying we need to increase taxes on the rich, it is very hard to convince people that there's a real problem.
- perfmode 8y agoOur systems lack mechanisms for accountability. If we can solve that, we can set off a runaway reaction.