4 ms·

I am my data, my data is me. I own myself, of course. So I also own any and all data about me. The constitutional right to privacy (sovereignty over oneself) i

I am my data, my data is me. I own myself, of course. So I also own any and all data about me. The constitutional right to privacy (sovereignty over oneself) is the start. This article's notion of price setting is derived from the right to privacy. -- I'd love to hear any and all proposals about determining the price of demographic data. Surely, the Big Tech companies do this already. Analyzing current accounting practices is terrific place to start. One interesting proposal for price setting is to treat warehousing demographic data (on the corporate balance sheet) as a liability vs an asset. The idea being to proactively manage risk (of the inevitable data leaks, ransomeware, etc), right?

datavirtue 3y ago
Accounting methods/practices are private. You just get to see the income statement and balance sheet that is produced from this voodoo. Perfect example: Kroger is taking the full charge for their opioid settlement in a single year but future investors and managers will be burdened with the actual payments for decades (tax law allows this). This is the thought process baked into these accounting methods that you normally are not privy to. Bonuses for me now, pain for you later. https://www.baldwin.senate.gov/news/press-releases/challenge-tax-deductions-by-opioid-companies https://www.baldwin.senate.gov/news/press-releases/challenge...
- j45 3y ago
  Your bank balance is private. Accounting methods and practices are not private, they are standardized. Where it comes to your own money personal or business, you get to see all of the chart of accounts, ledgers, etc.
  - datavirtue 3y ago
    If they are using cash I know exactly what's going on by looking any balance sheet or income statement. If they are accrual I have no idea what lies beneath the surface. Everyone is on accrual. For a public company you get a balance sheet and income statement. Good luck. You have to audit them and all of their subsidiaries. But you can't because you don't have access to any of the books. It just leaves everything open to "creative accounting." It has been a proven vector of corruption and high crimes. Recently (pre-pandemic) the guy that cracked Madoff released an analysis of GE claiming that they have been cooking their books for years--outright accusing them of fraud. GE and their media sycophants denied it adamantly. Story goes away without any proof whatsoever. Maybe the guy is nuts? I'm suspicious. Day traders LOVE GE for the ups and downs. They bought at $9 and now the stock is $132. In that case no one cares if the books are cooked as long as they can ride the wave. Feel free to read about Enron on Wikipedia. There are plenty of case studies and the world will keep producing more.
    - j45 3y ago
      I understand that you are presenting an accounting lens through which to see data. All data is not accounting data. With Accrual accounting, it can come clearer in the end, especially that it is not clear, in the way you've described. Accrual accounting itself does also have processes that should be followed, but it doesn't speak much about data ownership. Auditing entries is relative to how accounting systems are setup to be audit-able, or not. The point about data ownership remains on it's own from the tangents of accounting data.
l33t7332273 3y ago
>So I also own any and all data about me If I see you on the street and write in my diary: “Saw specialist on the street today.” You’d like the law to consider me a thief? Indeed, I think this is absurd because the premise that you are your data is absurd. Your data is not a person; it cannot feel pain or be damaged or compelled to action. You are no more your data than you are the clothes you choose to wear.
- specialist 3y ago
  I grant you permission to document our encounters for your personal use, in perpetuity. Such transactions are common enough that society will formalize such arrangements, minimizing transaction costs (overhead). But should you ever decide to write a book about me, I want my cut. > Your data is not a person... Correct. My data and myself are the same person. Legally. Consider: You impersonate me for the purposes of seizing my property. You have everything necessary to prove to my bank that you are me. How is a bank to know otherwise? For all practical purposes, to the bank, you are me. How then is my data not me? -- Identity theft is now a growth industry. Do you have any proposals for mitigating these crimes? Ditto surveillance, behavioral advertising, profiling, stalking. How does our society rebalance the scales to mitigate these problems? Formalizing our individual right to privacy, universal personal sovereignty is my proposal. It's the cornerstone of life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness for society in our new era. Necessary, but not sufficient, of course.
  - l33t7332273 3y ago
    >How then is my data not me? Knowing your PII is not a crime, and it shouldn’t be. Identity theft is not a crime. In fact, there is no such thing. You’re still you. I can’t steal your identity. The crime is fraud. Making material misrepresentations about who I am by pretending to be you to obtain credit is the crime. >It's the cornerstone of life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness for society in our new era. It’s really not. We have all of these now without data privacy.
    - specialist 3y ago
heresie-dabord 3y ago
> determining the price of demographic data The value of the data is determined by =1= the bid/auction system, the owner of which controls the starting price and the access =2= the bidders, who pay to gain access to something that they believe has value or can generate value =3= the high-probability predictability of the behaviour of the surveilled demographic =4= for any data that does not meet the threshold for 3) , the ability of the owner to mine and refine it for a future 3)

datavirtue 3y ago

Accounting methods/practices are private. You just get to see the income statement and balance sheet that is produced from this voodoo. Perfect example: Kroger is taking the full charge for their opioid settlement in a single year but future investors and managers will be burdened with the actual payments for decades (tax law allows this). This is the thought process baked into these accounting methods that you normally are not privy to. Bonuses for me now, pain for you later. https://www.baldwin.senate.gov/news/press-releases/challenge-tax-deductions-by-opioid-companies https://www.baldwin.senate.gov/news/press-releases/challenge...

j45 3y ago
Your bank balance is private. Accounting methods and practices are not private, they are standardized. Where it comes to your own money personal or business, you get to see all of the chart of accounts, ledgers, etc.
- datavirtue 3y ago
  If they are using cash I know exactly what's going on by looking any balance sheet or income statement. If they are accrual I have no idea what lies beneath the surface. Everyone is on accrual. For a public company you get a balance sheet and income statement. Good luck. You have to audit them and all of their subsidiaries. But you can't because you don't have access to any of the books. It just leaves everything open to "creative accounting." It has been a proven vector of corruption and high crimes. Recently (pre-pandemic) the guy that cracked Madoff released an analysis of GE claiming that they have been cooking their books for years--outright accusing them of fraud. GE and their media sycophants denied it adamantly. Story goes away without any proof whatsoever. Maybe the guy is nuts? I'm suspicious. Day traders LOVE GE for the ups and downs. They bought at $9 and now the stock is $132. In that case no one cares if the books are cooked as long as they can ride the wave. Feel free to read about Enron on Wikipedia. There are plenty of case studies and the world will keep producing more.
  - j45 3y ago
    I understand that you are presenting an accounting lens through which to see data. All data is not accounting data. With Accrual accounting, it can come clearer in the end, especially that it is not clear, in the way you've described. Accrual accounting itself does also have processes that should be followed, but it doesn't speak much about data ownership. Auditing entries is relative to how accounting systems are setup to be audit-able, or not. The point about data ownership remains on it's own from the tangents of accounting data.

l33t7332273 3y ago

>So I also own any and all data about me If I see you on the street and write in my diary: “Saw specialist on the street today.” You’d like the law to consider me a thief? Indeed, I think this is absurd because the premise that you are your data is absurd. Your data is not a person; it cannot feel pain or be damaged or compelled to action. You are no more your data than you are the clothes you choose to wear.

specialist 3y ago
I grant you permission to document our encounters for your personal use, in perpetuity. Such transactions are common enough that society will formalize such arrangements, minimizing transaction costs (overhead). But should you ever decide to write a book about me, I want my cut. > Your data is not a person... Correct. My data and myself are the same person. Legally. Consider: You impersonate me for the purposes of seizing my property. You have everything necessary to prove to my bank that you are me. How is a bank to know otherwise? For all practical purposes, to the bank, you are me. How then is my data not me? -- Identity theft is now a growth industry. Do you have any proposals for mitigating these crimes? Ditto surveillance, behavioral advertising, profiling, stalking. How does our society rebalance the scales to mitigate these problems? Formalizing our individual right to privacy, universal personal sovereignty is my proposal. It's the cornerstone of life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness for society in our new era. Necessary, but not sufficient, of course.
- l33t7332273 3y ago
  >How then is my data not me? Knowing your PII is not a crime, and it shouldn’t be. Identity theft is not a crime. In fact, there is no such thing. You’re still you. I can’t steal your identity. The crime is fraud. Making material misrepresentations about who I am by pretending to be you to obtain credit is the crime. >It's the cornerstone of life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness for society in our new era. It’s really not. We have all of these now without data privacy.
  - specialist 3y ago

heresie-dabord 3y ago

> determining the price of demographic data The value of the data is determined by =1= the bid/auction system, the owner of which controls the starting price and the access =2= the bidders, who pay to gain access to something that they believe has value or can generate value =3= the high-probability predictability of the behaviour of the surveilled demographic =4= for any data that does not meet the threshold for 3) , the ability of the owner to mine and refine it for a future 3)