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> but 100 years will anyone care that you had the flu on May 7 2019 My future health care provider might. Maybe they’ll spike rates by figuring out how often I

> but 100 years will anyone care that you had the flu on May 7 2019 My future health care provider might. Maybe they’ll spike rates by figuring out how often I’m ill using this data. Maybe I will marry a congressman someday and the sext that I sent today to my BF will be used to blackmail us. Maybe 30 years from now, people will be able to use my youthful indiscretions as leverage. Maybe I won’t get certain jobs because of where I’ve been or whom I’ve accidentally been close to in the location data. Maybe my sleeping habits will lead to higher life insurance rates. Russia and private actors have already personally targeted millions of people using highly directed ads to move an election using publicly available data. Imagine what they could do with Google’s data. Target congressional aides? Target the POTUS’ mistress (or mister)? In the hands of a Caesar or a Napoleon that data is the power to reshape the Earth, smite your enemies, eviscerate any obstacles and remake the holder into an invincible demi-god.

jchw 8y ago
> > but 100 years will anyone care that you had the flu on May 7 2019 > My future health care provider might. Maybe they’ll spike rates by figuring out how often I’m ill using this data. You seem to be perhaps a little too optimistic about your life expectancy.
- areoform 8y ago
  A charitable reading would be the coming decades. If I’m truly lucky, it could be a century. It’s something I try to work for. I have 2X chromosomes, am nominally healthy with CR and replicating the best anti-aging treatments of our time (retinoids for skin, exercise, nicotinamide riboside etc). Barring the unforeseen, my genes and efforts will probably lead to an extremely long healthy life span.
  - jchw 8y ago
    I wasn’t really making a criticism, just a light-hearted joke. I had to do a double take when I read that part of the response. Best of luck to living past 100, if you do I am sure I will be long gone.
    - areoform 8y ago
      I hope not :( From your HN comments, it feels like the world would be a poorer and darker place without you in it. People like you make a life worth living and a long one worth striving for. If we all take care of our health (with a little chemical help along the way) maybe we’ll all get to see what’s next together? :)
      - jchw 8y ago
        Thanks for the kind words. My family history a pretty high risk of stroke, heart attacks, cancer, etc. but I would be open to defying the odds, if that’s going to happen.
        areoform 8y ago
        Modern interventions like nicotinamide riboside and caloric restriction have evidence behind them and work. There are communities dedicated to this. There’s an entire world of people (and quacks) out there who can help along with your doctor. It’s worth a shot.
        LinuxBender 8y ago
        also a lot of work done by sens organization on age related illness and plans to reverse much of it assuming they get funding.
fauigerzigerk 8y ago
It's all true, but to protect yourself from all that, you're going to have to keep your data away from Apple as well (i.e no iCloud drive/photos/calendar/mail, etc) Not running algorithms for ad targeting doesn't make the data any more secure. Only end-to-end encryption does.
- amanaplanacanal 8y ago
  I thought that stuff was all encrypted, and Apple couldn't see it?
  - Dig1t 8y ago
    It _is_ encrypted, Apple cannot see it. The parent comment is mistaken
    - fauigerzigerk 8y ago
      I'm afraid you are mistaken: https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT202303 https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT202303
      - gowld 8y ago
        Reading that article, the confusion is easy to explain and looks intentional. It reads "For certain sensitive information, Apple uses end-to-end encryption. This means that only you can access your information" and then immediate shows a giant table of data that is NOT end-to-end encrypted, but not labelled as such -- it's only inferrable by its omissions from the next section of the document.
        fauigerzigerk 8y ago
        I agree. It doesn't look like Apple was particularly keen on letting people know that they can actually read most data that people consider private.
    - mgleason_3 8y ago
Jach 8y ago
Maybe they'll lower your rates by figuring out how often you're ill. Similarly with life insurance. Or they might not change. Maybe someone will try to blackmail you and your congressman husband, but both of you will just shrug, because no one cares at all about nudes. Not even you, after a few more decades of information wanting to be free and becoming free and public. Maybe it's better that you didn't get those jobs and you find something else. With all the extra data out there, maybe there'll be a service that'll match you up with doing something you really want to do that fulfills your soul instead of sucks it. Why do you suppose that with more information election manipulation will be one-sided in favor of certain manipulators over other manipulators or even suppressors? I'm told FB does a great job suppressing all kinds of data from spreading, I don't imagine they'll get worse at it. We also have all the other manipulators manipulating in exactly the opposite direction as any particular manipulator you want to call out. Seems like a wash. Your concerns all boil down to big maybes about mildly increased financial burden and people increasing their sensitivity to private info being exposed despite decades of trends implying the opposite. In the hands of a Caesar, this isn't the power to reshape the Earth at all, especially when it's never going to be in the hands of one entity.
- gowld 8y ago
  That's a whole lot a Maybe that's drastically at odds with millenia of human nature and human history.
  - srcmap 8y ago
    drastically at odds with Corporate nature and Corporate history.
- 50656E6973 8y ago
  >this isn't the power to reshape the Earth at all Then why are there so many tech companies obsessed with "changing the world"? None of your rebuttal did anything to negate the fact that big data can be and is used as a weapon the likes of which the world has never seen before.
ok_coo 8y ago
These would be big problem, but even worse is that you wouldn't know if they know. Like getting ghosted after a job interview. You will have _no idea_ what caused the rejection. Or, as to your examples, you will have no idea if and/or why you're getting charged more.

jchw 8y ago

> > but 100 years will anyone care that you had the flu on May 7 2019 > My future health care provider might. Maybe they’ll spike rates by figuring out how often I’m ill using this data. You seem to be perhaps a little too optimistic about your life expectancy.

areoform 8y ago
A charitable reading would be the coming decades. If I’m truly lucky, it could be a century. It’s something I try to work for. I have 2X chromosomes, am nominally healthy with CR and replicating the best anti-aging treatments of our time (retinoids for skin, exercise, nicotinamide riboside etc). Barring the unforeseen, my genes and efforts will probably lead to an extremely long healthy life span.
- jchw 8y ago
  I wasn’t really making a criticism, just a light-hearted joke. I had to do a double take when I read that part of the response. Best of luck to living past 100, if you do I am sure I will be long gone.
  - areoform 8y ago
    I hope not :( From your HN comments, it feels like the world would be a poorer and darker place without you in it. People like you make a life worth living and a long one worth striving for. If we all take care of our health (with a little chemical help along the way) maybe we’ll all get to see what’s next together? :)
    - jchw 8y ago
      Thanks for the kind words. My family history a pretty high risk of stroke, heart attacks, cancer, etc. but I would be open to defying the odds, if that’s going to happen.
      - areoform 8y ago
        Modern interventions like nicotinamide riboside and caloric restriction have evidence behind them and work. There are communities dedicated to this. There’s an entire world of people (and quacks) out there who can help along with your doctor. It’s worth a shot.
        LinuxBender 8y ago
        also a lot of work done by sens organization on age related illness and plans to reverse much of it assuming they get funding.

fauigerzigerk 8y ago

It's all true, but to protect yourself from all that, you're going to have to keep your data away from Apple as well (i.e no iCloud drive/photos/calendar/mail, etc) Not running algorithms for ad targeting doesn't make the data any more secure. Only end-to-end encryption does.

amanaplanacanal 8y ago
I thought that stuff was all encrypted, and Apple couldn't see it?
- Dig1t 8y ago
  It _is_ encrypted, Apple cannot see it. The parent comment is mistaken
  - fauigerzigerk 8y ago
    I'm afraid you are mistaken: https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT202303 https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT202303
    - gowld 8y ago
      Reading that article, the confusion is easy to explain and looks intentional. It reads "For certain sensitive information, Apple uses end-to-end encryption. This means that only you can access your information" and then immediate shows a giant table of data that is NOT end-to-end encrypted, but not labelled as such -- it's only inferrable by its omissions from the next section of the document.
      - fauigerzigerk 8y ago
        I agree. It doesn't look like Apple was particularly keen on letting people know that they can actually read most data that people consider private.
  - mgleason_3 8y ago

Jach 8y ago

Maybe they'll lower your rates by figuring out how often you're ill. Similarly with life insurance. Or they might not change. Maybe someone will try to blackmail you and your congressman husband, but both of you will just shrug, because no one cares at all about nudes. Not even you, after a few more decades of information wanting to be free and becoming free and public. Maybe it's better that you didn't get those jobs and you find something else. With all the extra data out there, maybe there'll be a service that'll match you up with doing something you really want to do that fulfills your soul instead of sucks it. Why do you suppose that with more information election manipulation will be one-sided in favor of certain manipulators over other manipulators or even suppressors? I'm told FB does a great job suppressing all kinds of data from spreading, I don't imagine they'll get worse at it. We also have all the other manipulators manipulating in exactly the opposite direction as any particular manipulator you want to call out. Seems like a wash. Your concerns all boil down to big maybes about mildly increased financial burden and people increasing their sensitivity to private info being exposed despite decades of trends implying the opposite. In the hands of a Caesar, this isn't the power to reshape the Earth at all, especially when it's never going to be in the hands of one entity.

gowld 8y ago
That's a whole lot a Maybe that's drastically at odds with millenia of human nature and human history.
- srcmap 8y ago
  drastically at odds with Corporate nature and Corporate history.
50656E6973 8y ago
>this isn't the power to reshape the Earth at all Then why are there so many tech companies obsessed with "changing the world"? None of your rebuttal did anything to negate the fact that big data can be and is used as a weapon the likes of which the world has never seen before.

ok_coo 8y ago

These would be big problem, but even worse is that you wouldn't know if they know. Like getting ghosted after a job interview. You will have _no idea_ what caused the rejection. Or, as to your examples, you will have no idea if and/or why you're getting charged more.