3 ms·
I think just enough components of the problem are too abstract for most people to practically reason about. HIPAA passed when people expected Clinton to push f
by chefandy 5y ago
I think just enough components of the problem are too abstract for most people to practically reason about.
HIPAA passed when people expected Clinton to push for health insurance improvements. The HITECH accompaniment passed in 2009 when health care was a huge issue in the wake of the 2008 disaster, and people expected the govt to crack down on big company malfeasance. Subjectively, I think 'keeping your health information secret because it should be secret' seems more viscerally compelling. SOX passed in the wake of Enron and WorldCom during the .com bust. The EU, broadly, seems less regulation averse than the US, but I'm no expert. That the US hasn't followed suit, despite the current backlash against social media and data tracking in general, is telling.
Most folks think someone getting ahold of their CC# is the worst-case scenario and they or someone they know has probably experienced it. It was probably resolved with a 5-minute phone call, and they probably blamed the last in-person retail transaction they executed before the fraudulent charges rather than some online company they bought a potholder from 18 months prior. They likely don't even consider the implications of someone using their SSN to open a mortgage, lease a boat, claim unemployment benefits, or work a year claiming total tax exemption on their W4.
Even many people who understand the privacy implications might not understand how frequently breaches happen, the practical steps to mitigate them, and whether they're proportional to the risk. Few could factually evaluate the inevitable industry FUD. I think it'd get way more pushback than the right to repair did in Massachusetts, and industry flung some pretty outrageous fear-mongering BS over that one— they implied non-proprietary car computer interfaces would result in women being stalked and raped. In a television commercial.
I think it's doable and very important that we do, but I completely understand why there hasn't been any popular grassroots uprising about it.