5 ms·

Same that makes some drugs illegal?

mcculley 5y ago
I am looking for specifics. Would photographers no longer be able to take photos of people in public and sell them? Would it be illegal for one to sell web server log files? Would Google Analytics become illegal? Would the owner of a security camera have requirements on how they handle their data? I am interested in how free speech and free markets enable the interesting effects we are now seeing. Maybe the answer is that there should be stricter controls on everything. That does not seem very likely to me.
- marcosdumay 5y ago
  > Would photographers no longer be able to take photos of people in public and sell them? That's a grey area. I think it should be illegal if the goal of the photos is to track a person, and legal if the goal is to document a scene. And yes, that's a classification that we can do. We can apply the same rule to the people buying the photos, so it's illegal to go around buying photos about the movement of somebody even if no photographer did anything illegal. > Would Google Analytics become illegal? If they sell personal data? Without a doubt. Currently, AFAIK, they don't. > Would the owner of a security camera have requirements on how they handle their data? Yes, he can't sell it.
  - mcculley 5y ago
    > We can apply the same rule to the people buying the photos, so it's illegal to go around buying photos about the movement of somebody even if no photographer did anything illegal. I am trying to imagine the state capable of enforcing such a law. I don’t think that is where anyone wants to live.
  - mcculley 5y ago
    > > Would Google Analytics become illegal? > If they sell personal data? Without a doubt. Currently, AFAIK, they don't. Google can obviously construct a dossier on a person from his analytics cookie. It’s okay for Google to have this data so long as they do not sell it, just sell access to it to advertisers or release it to governments?
    - postsantum 5y ago
      Is it legal to own heroin, not sell it to anyone, but have guests over and offer them some (for a payment)?

I am looking for specifics. Would photographers no longer be able to take photos of people in public and sell them? Would it be illegal for one to sell web server log files? Would Google Analytics become illegal? Would the owner of a security camera have requirements on how they handle their data? I am interested in how free speech and free markets enable the interesting effects we are now seeing. Maybe the answer is that there should be stricter controls on everything. That does not seem very likely to me.

marcosdumay 5y ago
> Would photographers no longer be able to take photos of people in public and sell them? That's a grey area. I think it should be illegal if the goal of the photos is to track a person, and legal if the goal is to document a scene. And yes, that's a classification that we can do. We can apply the same rule to the people buying the photos, so it's illegal to go around buying photos about the movement of somebody even if no photographer did anything illegal. > Would Google Analytics become illegal? If they sell personal data? Without a doubt. Currently, AFAIK, they don't. > Would the owner of a security camera have requirements on how they handle their data? Yes, he can't sell it.
- mcculley 5y ago
  > We can apply the same rule to the people buying the photos, so it's illegal to go around buying photos about the movement of somebody even if no photographer did anything illegal. I am trying to imagine the state capable of enforcing such a law. I don’t think that is where anyone wants to live.
- mcculley 5y ago
  > > Would Google Analytics become illegal? > If they sell personal data? Without a doubt. Currently, AFAIK, they don't. Google can obviously construct a dossier on a person from his analytics cookie. It’s okay for Google to have this data so long as they do not sell it, just sell access to it to advertisers or release it to governments?
  - postsantum 5y ago
    Is it legal to own heroin, not sell it to anyone, but have guests over and offer them some (for a payment)?