5 ms·

It's not just the NSA buying this data right? So is it illegal when say a marketing agency buys the data? If not why should it become illegal for the government

It's not just the NSA buying this data right? So is it illegal when say a marketing agency buys the data? If not why should it become illegal for the government?

oneplane 3y ago
Because the government can put you in jail and the marketing agency can't. (I think I heard this simplified response on the Risky Business podcast) Realistically, scraping people for their data like this should just not be allowed at all. People are more important than corporations.
- seanp2k2 3y ago
  But in America, “corporations are people, my friend!”
  - eadler 3y ago
    Corporate personhood predates the formation of the United States and is not unique to the states.
- jonhohle 3y ago
  The phrase I’m familiar with is Monopoly on Violence.
iinnPP 3y ago
It sure should be illegal all around. The second piece about comparing the government to a business isn't valid. There exist many laws and rules that apply only to the government. Not that I agree with the distinction. I think companies larger than the US government at formation should probably have rules to keep them good for humanity.
- mtsr 3y ago
  Indeed. Many laws and regulations around government agencies (not US specific, as I’m in the EU) specify what the agency is allowed to do, rather than what it isn’t. This is much easier to enforce, although it does require more regular review of regulations (that specify the details) to keep with the time.
retrocryptid 3y ago
Because the marketing agency can't have you targeted in a drone stike.
- lesuorac 3y ago
  Why not? Historically, corporations have had armed private forces that they've used to kill people. Although you may have miss the tamer recent version where Ebay sent "a bloody pig mask, a funeral wreath, and a book entitled “Grief Diaries: Surviving Loss of a Spouse", practiced installing a GPS tracker and then travelled 3000 miles to install one, "The Defendants also posted the Steiner’s address on Craigslist and other websites, inviting strangers to the Steiners’ home for sex parties, and advertising yard sales". The story has a happy ending though as "Defendant Wenig departed eBay with a $57 million severance package.". > https://www.techdirt.com/2021/07/29/exec-that-tried-to-send-critical-reporters-dead-pig-blames-drinking-culture-ebay/ https://www.techdirt.com/2021/07/29/exec-that-tried-to-send-... > https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mad.236568/gov.uscourts.mad.236568.1.0.pdf https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mad.236...
  - gottorf 3y ago
    That eBay story is wild, and does make you wonder how deep the rot must be in that company. Also, why on Earth does eBay need a "global intelligence center" and a "global security team"? Do they have a completely separate line of business that I'm not aware of? At least one person went to prison, so there's that.
  - rolph 3y ago
    there is truth in fiction: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syndicate_(series) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syndicate_(series) https://www.ea.com/games/syndicate https://www.ea.com/games/syndicate
  - SAI_Peregrinus 3y ago
    Any sufficiently powerful corporation is indistinguishable from a government. There aren't many corporations who currently exercise their money to get such power, but it's happened before and can certainly happen again.
mrangle 3y ago
For the same reason that the Constitutional protections exist to restrict the government, specifically.

It's not just the NSA buying this data right? So is it illegal when say a marketing agency buys the data? If not why should it become illegal for the government?

oneplane 3y ago

Because the government can put you in jail and the marketing agency can't. (I think I heard this simplified response on the Risky Business podcast) Realistically, scraping people for their data like this should just not be allowed at all. People are more important than corporations.

seanp2k2 3y ago
But in America, “corporations are people, my friend!”
- eadler 3y ago
  Corporate personhood predates the formation of the United States and is not unique to the states.
jonhohle 3y ago
The phrase I’m familiar with is Monopoly on Violence.

iinnPP 3y ago

It sure should be illegal all around. The second piece about comparing the government to a business isn't valid. There exist many laws and rules that apply only to the government. Not that I agree with the distinction. I think companies larger than the US government at formation should probably have rules to keep them good for humanity.

mtsr 3y ago
Indeed. Many laws and regulations around government agencies (not US specific, as I’m in the EU) specify what the agency is allowed to do, rather than what it isn’t. This is much easier to enforce, although it does require more regular review of regulations (that specify the details) to keep with the time.

retrocryptid 3y ago

Because the marketing agency can't have you targeted in a drone stike.

lesuorac 3y ago
Why not? Historically, corporations have had armed private forces that they've used to kill people. Although you may have miss the tamer recent version where Ebay sent "a bloody pig mask, a funeral wreath, and a book entitled “Grief Diaries: Surviving Loss of a Spouse", practiced installing a GPS tracker and then travelled 3000 miles to install one, "The Defendants also posted the Steiner’s address on Craigslist and other websites, inviting strangers to the Steiners’ home for sex parties, and advertising yard sales". The story has a happy ending though as "Defendant Wenig departed eBay with a $57 million severance package.". > https://www.techdirt.com/2021/07/29/exec-that-tried-to-send-critical-reporters-dead-pig-blames-drinking-culture-ebay/ https://www.techdirt.com/2021/07/29/exec-that-tried-to-send-... > https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mad.236568/gov.uscourts.mad.236568.1.0.pdf https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mad.236...
- gottorf 3y ago
  That eBay story is wild, and does make you wonder how deep the rot must be in that company. Also, why on Earth does eBay need a "global intelligence center" and a "global security team"? Do they have a completely separate line of business that I'm not aware of? At least one person went to prison, so there's that.
- rolph 3y ago
  there is truth in fiction: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syndicate_(series) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syndicate_(series) https://www.ea.com/games/syndicate https://www.ea.com/games/syndicate
- SAI_Peregrinus 3y ago
  Any sufficiently powerful corporation is indistinguishable from a government. There aren't many corporations who currently exercise their money to get such power, but it's happened before and can certainly happen again.

mrangle 3y ago

For the same reason that the Constitutional protections exist to restrict the government, specifically.