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Where is the world collectively on outlawing data brokers? If your business model revolves around selling people’s data without their consent, you’re a nuisance

Where is the world collectively on outlawing data brokers? If your business model revolves around selling people’s data without their consent, you’re a nuisance. Literally nobody would explicitly agree to have their data sold and used to bother them. We have plenty of laws against nuisance, because nuisance doesn’t benefit society. Why is it taking so long to ban this business model?

JohnMakin 3y ago
> Literally nobody would explicitly agree to have their data sold and used to bother them. I don’t think this is the case. fairly recently I’ve seen the old “if you dont want to be tracked by facebook, then dont use it!!!” take on here from people who are supposed to know better. Maybe not explicit, but if you told them I guarantee most people do not care at all, or people would be far more upset than they currently are.
- Terretta 3y ago
  And "But I like ads that know what I want. Why would you want to see ads for things you don't want?" is hard to argue with until you realize there's no particular reason you have to see ads. The '90s web was fine without ads, in its "pamphleteering" days when people spent an amount of money proportionate to how badly they wanted to say something, and that was it. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pamphleteer https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pamphleteer
fmajid 3y ago
If you are a Californian, starting 2026 you will have a one-stop shop to opt out of all data brokers: https://www.theregister.com/2023/09/18/california_passes_bill_to_set/ https://www.theregister.com/2023/09/18/california_passes_bil...
- Slow_Hand 3y ago
  I'm thrilled. This cannot come soon enough.
  - hedora 3y ago
    Don’t get too excited. It’s a regulatory capture play by the big monopolies. It specifically exempts vertically integrated data brokers such as Google and Facebook. In other words, if a data broker sells your data, and it is used for an ad auction run by a third party, that’s subject to the opt out. If google uses your data to place bids on behalf of an advertiser in an auction that google runs and then places the ads using its own infrastructure, there is no opt out requirement. If the second scenario sounds like it is prone to auction fraud and abuse of monopoly power, that’s because it is. Take a look at today’s DOJ testimony from a former Google exec. (To be clear, I want a stronger, ideally opt-in, bill that applies equally to that entire industry, not one that picks winners based on lobbying and campaign donations.)

JohnMakin 3y ago

> Literally nobody would explicitly agree to have their data sold and used to bother them. I don’t think this is the case. fairly recently I’ve seen the old “if you dont want to be tracked by facebook, then dont use it!!!” take on here from people who are supposed to know better. Maybe not explicit, but if you told them I guarantee most people do not care at all, or people would be far more upset than they currently are.

Terretta 3y ago
And "But I like ads that know what I want. Why would you want to see ads for things you don't want?" is hard to argue with until you realize there's no particular reason you have to see ads. The '90s web was fine without ads, in its "pamphleteering" days when people spent an amount of money proportionate to how badly they wanted to say something, and that was it. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pamphleteer https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pamphleteer

fmajid 3y ago

If you are a Californian, starting 2026 you will have a one-stop shop to opt out of all data brokers: https://www.theregister.com/2023/09/18/california_passes_bill_to_set/ https://www.theregister.com/2023/09/18/california_passes_bil...

Slow_Hand 3y ago
I'm thrilled. This cannot come soon enough.
- hedora 3y ago
  Don’t get too excited. It’s a regulatory capture play by the big monopolies. It specifically exempts vertically integrated data brokers such as Google and Facebook. In other words, if a data broker sells your data, and it is used for an ad auction run by a third party, that’s subject to the opt out. If google uses your data to place bids on behalf of an advertiser in an auction that google runs and then places the ads using its own infrastructure, there is no opt out requirement. If the second scenario sounds like it is prone to auction fraud and abuse of monopoly power, that’s because it is. Take a look at today’s DOJ testimony from a former Google exec. (To be clear, I want a stronger, ideally opt-in, bill that applies equally to that entire industry, not one that picks winners based on lobbying and campaign donations.)