7 ms·

Europe’s hidden security crisis

76 points by c16 3y ago

tptacek 3y ago
The proper title for this piece is "Europe's hidden security crisis". Ironically, the title it has now ("Could be bigger than Cambridge Analytica") is probably less likely to draw in readers, not more.
- tempodox 3y ago
  I thought there was a rule about not editorializing post titles on HN...
  - dang 3y ago
    There certainly is! - see https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html - but it's a manual process to correct these things - which takes a while and often requires someone to let us know. Submitters: if you want to say what you think is important about an article, that's fine, but do it by adding a comment to the thread. Then your view will be on a level playing field with everyone else's: https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=false&sort=byDate&type=comment&query=%22level%20playing%20field%22%20by:dang https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=false&so... (Submitted title was "Could be bigger than Cambridge Analytica (5B people)")
    - c16 3y ago
      understood :+1:
guiriduro 3y ago
Sounds ideal for child kidnappers, extorters, contract killers etc. Also sounds like the kind of thing that should be covered by an updated GDPR, something EU citizens should be able to easily opt out of en masse, not done on a per-site basis. Close down the Google and MS ad data and tracking factories.
- fifteen1506 3y ago
  That won't happen. Forbid RTB in its current mode of operation to force advancement.
seydor 3y ago
There are easier ways. Powerful spyware targetting politicians is now available for sale. https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-57910355 https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-57910355 There are already a number of scandals in europe
- wolverine876 3y ago
  Even easier and completely legal: Data brokers will now sell you info on segments such as 'judges', 'elected officials', 'military personnel', 'national security officials', etc. https://www.ft.com/content/6c8f1f24-b690-4bbd-b726-28b2d6f10800 https://www.ft.com/content/6c8f1f24-b690-4bbd-b726-28b2d6f10... Edit: I realize now that the FT article is a report on the OP. Oops.
cmrdporcupine 3y ago
When I worked in RTB (about 10 years ago), the profile information sent as part of the bid request was really quite low granularity and very anonymized. There wasn't a lot there, just fairly broad demographics. With cookie matching and third party data services, you could in theory extend this. But obfuscation of tracking cookies and so on was enforced by the bigger parties like Google AdX, etc. so that it wasn't usually all that feasible. Has this changed significantly? The various cookie matching and data markets out there are more disturbing to me than RTB itself?
- wolverine876 3y ago
  I'm not sure what you mean. Is the OP report incorrect somehow, and that data is not available?
  - cmrdporcupine 3y ago
    I don't know, ask the people who downvoted me, they apparently know better than me.
SenAnder 3y ago
Repeat after me: "I have nothing to hide. I know for a fact that I am not now, nor will I ever be in the future, in a position that a political domestic, foreign, or corporate competitor adversary would wish to influence, or any opinions a present or future government or employer would wish to suppress, because I am an Ordinary Person. I do not have, nor will I ever have, influence or access to union negotiations or elections, a vote on the local council to authorize development or zoning, a role in any political party, valuable technological know-how, an open-source project useful for supply-chain attacks, a role in legal proceedings someone may wish to influence or sabotage, access to critical infrastructure like railways, hydroelectric plants, electric supply, water supply, or telecom equipment, or any important military or strategic knowledge, nor do I develop any software that those in power dislike, such as encrypted messaging, file-sharing, ad-blocking, or surveillance-evading like TOR. Nor do I know any such people, so I cannot be compelled to influence them. I do not do, say, or watch anything my spouse, parents, children, friends, teachers, employer, police, or government would object to. I am an Ordinary Person, and have nothing to hide. I do not worry how my society will change when those who are not ordinary are attacked."
- kazinator 3y ago
  [flagged]
  - wkat4242 3y ago
    [flagged]
- dang 3y ago
  It looks like you've been using HN primarily for ideological battle. We ban accounts that do that, regardless of which ideology they're battling for or against. It's not what this site is for, and destroys what it is for—no matter what you're battling for or against. If you'd please review https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html and stick to the rules when posting here, we'd appreciate it.
  - 3y ago
araes 3y ago
Anybody know of a way to look up the data available on yourself over these Real-Time Bidding (RTB) broadcasts? (Similar to page 11 of the report) [1] It would be fascinating/creepy to see what category ad networks have lumped me into or assigned to me based on my viewing habits. "We believe you're a dairy farmer who works in the defense industry." [1] https://www.iccl.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Europes-hidden-security-crisis.pdf https://www.iccl.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Europes-hidde...
- deleted 3y ago
  [deleted]

76 points by c16 3y ago

The proper title for this piece is "Europe's hidden security crisis". Ironically, the title it has now ("Could be bigger than Cambridge Analytica") is probably less likely to draw in readers, not more.

tempodox 3y ago
I thought there was a rule about not editorializing post titles on HN...
- dang 3y ago
  There certainly is! - see https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html - but it's a manual process to correct these things - which takes a while and often requires someone to let us know. Submitters: if you want to say what you think is important about an article, that's fine, but do it by adding a comment to the thread. Then your view will be on a level playing field with everyone else's: https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=false&sort=byDate&type=comment&query=%22level%20playing%20field%22%20by:dang https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=false&so... (Submitted title was "Could be bigger than Cambridge Analytica (5B people)")
  - c16 3y ago
    understood :+1:

guiriduro 3y ago

Sounds ideal for child kidnappers, extorters, contract killers etc. Also sounds like the kind of thing that should be covered by an updated GDPR, something EU citizens should be able to easily opt out of en masse, not done on a per-site basis. Close down the Google and MS ad data and tracking factories.

fifteen1506 3y ago
That won't happen. Forbid RTB in its current mode of operation to force advancement.

seydor 3y ago

There are easier ways. Powerful spyware targetting politicians is now available for sale. https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-57910355 https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-57910355 There are already a number of scandals in europe

wolverine876 3y ago
Even easier and completely legal: Data brokers will now sell you info on segments such as 'judges', 'elected officials', 'military personnel', 'national security officials', etc. https://www.ft.com/content/6c8f1f24-b690-4bbd-b726-28b2d6f10800 https://www.ft.com/content/6c8f1f24-b690-4bbd-b726-28b2d6f10... Edit: I realize now that the FT article is a report on the OP. Oops.

cmrdporcupine 3y ago

When I worked in RTB (about 10 years ago), the profile information sent as part of the bid request was really quite low granularity and very anonymized. There wasn't a lot there, just fairly broad demographics. With cookie matching and third party data services, you could in theory extend this. But obfuscation of tracking cookies and so on was enforced by the bigger parties like Google AdX, etc. so that it wasn't usually all that feasible. Has this changed significantly? The various cookie matching and data markets out there are more disturbing to me than RTB itself?

wolverine876 3y ago
I'm not sure what you mean. Is the OP report incorrect somehow, and that data is not available?
- cmrdporcupine 3y ago
  I don't know, ask the people who downvoted me, they apparently know better than me.

SenAnder 3y ago

Repeat after me: "I have nothing to hide. I know for a fact that I am not now, nor will I ever be in the future, in a position that a political domestic, foreign, or corporate competitor adversary would wish to influence, or any opinions a present or future government or employer would wish to suppress, because I am an Ordinary Person. I do not have, nor will I ever have, influence or access to union negotiations or elections, a vote on the local council to authorize development or zoning, a role in any political party, valuable technological know-how, an open-source project useful for supply-chain attacks, a role in legal proceedings someone may wish to influence or sabotage, access to critical infrastructure like railways, hydroelectric plants, electric supply, water supply, or telecom equipment, or any important military or strategic knowledge, nor do I develop any software that those in power dislike, such as encrypted messaging, file-sharing, ad-blocking, or surveillance-evading like TOR. Nor do I know any such people, so I cannot be compelled to influence them. I do not do, say, or watch anything my spouse, parents, children, friends, teachers, employer, police, or government would object to. I am an Ordinary Person, and have nothing to hide. I do not worry how my society will change when those who are not ordinary are attacked."

kazinator 3y ago
[flagged]
- wkat4242 3y ago
  [flagged]
dang 3y ago
It looks like you've been using HN primarily for ideological battle. We ban accounts that do that, regardless of which ideology they're battling for or against. It's not what this site is for, and destroys what it is for—no matter what you're battling for or against. If you'd please review https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html and stick to the rules when posting here, we'd appreciate it.
- 3y ago

araes 3y ago

Anybody know of a way to look up the data available on yourself over these Real-Time Bidding (RTB) broadcasts? (Similar to page 11 of the report) [1] It would be fascinating/creepy to see what category ad networks have lumped me into or assigned to me based on my viewing habits. "We believe you're a dairy farmer who works in the defense industry." [1] https://www.iccl.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Europes-hidden-security-crisis.pdf https://www.iccl.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Europes-hidde...

deleted 3y ago
[deleted]