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We all know, or should know, that all big tech companies violate privacy in one of myriad ways. Facebook, Google, et al are a criminal cartel, selling its user

We all know, or should know, that all big tech companies violate privacy in one of myriad ways. Facebook, Google, et al are a criminal cartel, selling its users’ data to the highest bidder. When a foreign country or an individual does what these companies do, it’s hacking and considered a crime. When Big Tech does it, no big deal.

mc32 4y ago
Man, it's been a long, long time, since the Qwest CEO stood up to the Feds on a hunting expedition[1]... I don't think anyone has had the guts to say no since then, although Apple put up some pretense when asked for access to iPhone data. Coincidentally, of course, as things are wont to happen, the CEO subsequently got caught up in inside trading... [1]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qwest#Refusal_for_NSA_spying https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qwest#Refusal_for_NSA_spying
threatofrain 4y ago
I live in the USA so when the DMV or cops engage in the market of personal data, that's just Tuesday. I am all for legislation & enforcement which destroys the entire personal data market.
jrpt 4y ago
Facebook and Google don't sell user data. They sell ad impressions, leveraging user data to decide which ads to show, but it's not like you can just buy a user's data from them. In fact, they've gotten much stingier with ways to get their users' data. You used to be able to get a ton of user and connection data for free just by using Facebook's API (with the user's permission) but it's much harder now and for some types of data, it's no longer available at all.
- Blackstrat 4y ago
  I think they still sell to data aggregators like Acxiom. Nearly everyone in the country apparently does
ThinkBeat 4y ago
Not a criminal cartel, just an extension of the intelligence services in the US. Surveillance, censorship, propaganda, behavior modification, globally over billions of people.
- jcadam 4y ago
  The govt outsources to private parties that which is illegal for it to do directly. Some Italian dude coined a term for this sort of merger of corporate and government power in the early 20th century....

mc32 4y ago

Man, it's been a long, long time, since the Qwest CEO stood up to the Feds on a hunting expedition[1]... I don't think anyone has had the guts to say no since then, although Apple put up some pretense when asked for access to iPhone data. Coincidentally, of course, as things are wont to happen, the CEO subsequently got caught up in inside trading... [1]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qwest#Refusal_for_NSA_spying https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qwest#Refusal_for_NSA_spying

threatofrain 4y ago

I live in the USA so when the DMV or cops engage in the market of personal data, that's just Tuesday. I am all for legislation & enforcement which destroys the entire personal data market.

jrpt 4y ago

Facebook and Google don't sell user data. They sell ad impressions, leveraging user data to decide which ads to show, but it's not like you can just buy a user's data from them. In fact, they've gotten much stingier with ways to get their users' data. You used to be able to get a ton of user and connection data for free just by using Facebook's API (with the user's permission) but it's much harder now and for some types of data, it's no longer available at all.

Blackstrat 4y ago
I think they still sell to data aggregators like Acxiom. Nearly everyone in the country apparently does

ThinkBeat 4y ago

Not a criminal cartel, just an extension of the intelligence services in the US. Surveillance, censorship, propaganda, behavior modification, globally over billions of people.

jcadam 4y ago
The govt outsources to private parties that which is illegal for it to do directly. Some Italian dude coined a term for this sort of merger of corporate and government power in the early 20th century....