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Problem is that once they use it for a benign reason, use of the data will expand into other, less palatable uses.
by dontcare007 4y ago
Problem is that once they use it for a benign reason, use of the data will expand into other, less palatable uses.
- mywittyname 4y agoThe problem is that this data is available for anyone to purchase. And anyone includes groups that you don't want to have it. Some people focus their attention on limiting the government's ability to collect this information, but just go about ignoring businesses being legally allowed to keep and sell this data. Now the government is leveraging privatized markets for all of their spying needs and it is neatly kept out of the courts. As the article points out, it wasn't just the CDC performing these kinds of analysis. News organizations were doing the same thing. If we want to curb government surveillance, we need to curb corporate surveillance by legally enshrining a right to privacy that limits the information that companies can collect and sell. Which, ironically, will mean government regulation and enforcement.
- landemva 4y agoMore than one facet to the problem and potential solutions. How about... The problem is this data is not owned by the individual. Which will mean government guidelines and optional private enforcement via lawsuit with meaningful minimum penalties.
- cmroanirgo 4y agoThe problem could also be said to start with software. Particularly Apple and Google for allowing specific location information to be used in the same app as advertising. The problem is that all apps are granted access to the internet. Nip those two things in the bud and the problems will slow down, I think. But it's a pipe-dream, I know. In the early days of Android, I remember reading that Android was Android because you had to jump through all these permission hoops with j2me (Java 2 Mobile Edition). Hence, Android was better and more easy to use than j2me. Here we are, 15 years later with exactly the same set of permissions problems... with one exception, Android still gives out internet access without permission. Many devs here would be aghast at the idea of an app not being internet connected. I believe Google did it that way because Steve Jobs had done it that way in the iPod and iPhones. (I presume there's some HN'ers here that can refute this?) I remember my colleagues at the time remarking how refreshing it was to not have to deal with permissions (because customers disliked all the modal permissions that popped up in j2me)... and we all jumped on board the iPhone and Android development train, not knowing the problems that we'd have down the line.
- TheCoelacanth 4y agoHow could you even prevent the government from accessing the data if any random company with a few bucks can get it? If you had really strong safeguards, maybe you can stop the government from accessing it directly but what kind of safeguards are going to stop contractors of contractors of contractors from doing what every other private company does?
- ThunderSizzle 4y agoI'm not afraid of marketing flyers. I can handle crap like that. Highly Targetted Advertising, as annoying as it is, doesn't threaten to lock me up if I don't purchase something. But I can't stop an inadequate power hungry government bureaucrat threatening me and my family over whatever because they want to feel important or powerful over others.
- brewdad 4y agoYou didn't answer the question. If the bureaucrat wants this info, he'll get it through a third or fourth or X-th party. The root problem is that this data exists at all. Of course, if it didn't, half the posters here would be out of a job.
- epgui 4y agoSlippery slope fallacy.