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Reminds me of the wonderful idea, Data is the new toxic waste. https://www.kaspersky.com/blog/secure-futures-magazine/data-new-toxic-waste/34184/ https://www.ka

Reminds me of the wonderful idea, Data is the new toxic waste. https://www.kaspersky.com/blog/secure-futures-magazine/data-new-toxic-waste/34184/ https://www.kaspersky.com/blog/secure-futures-magazine/data-... There's too many awful or just self-dealing forces in the world which will legislate access to user's data. There's nothing your company can do to defend itself. The situation will only intensity and get worse, governments will only ever expand their legal access to the cloud's many data-keeps. Data is toxic. It's a risk to your company, given the 195 different nations which each might hit you up to demand uncomfortable & scary privileges. Having data will encourage people in your company to use it, which half the time is bad & scary. Don't have data. This goes against so many of my desires, is against my aspirations for the Information Age, but it seems so impossible to give users their own sovereignty, to leave them in control. Everyone else has all the power over the data, and that makes data toxic.

neilv 3y ago
I've used the data as toxic waste analogy before. Currently, data as toxic waste is still in the phase in which toxic waste was cavalierly dumped everywhere, including into water supplies. Industry loves this phase. Once org charts start going to jail, and companies start getting hit with existential levels of fines and lawsuits, then data will be in a much better phase of toxic waste.
- staplers 3y ago
  Only after the major players have divested and created an alternative will it start appearing in headlines and public opinion that we should legislate it harshly.
imglorp 3y ago
Beautiful idea but I think it only applies to big, onshore players who can be sued or bullied. There are tons of little data brokers buying locations from cell companies and unscrupulous ad networks driving all those apps on your phone collecting locations for no benefit to you; these brokers are behind Delaware shell corps or offshore. Data is still gold to them.
Laforet 3y ago
Bruce Schneier wrote a similar post back in 2016, and he was ridiculed pretty badly by everybody. Interesting to see how the opinion has shifted to the other extreme in less than 10 years. https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2016/03/data_is_a_toxic.html https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2016/03/data_is_a_tox...
- fiddlerwoaroof 3y ago
  What I hate is there’s no way for me to say “I know the risks, I still want this feature”. I have been carefully making sure this data is collected for years and I use it all the time.
  - kelnos 3y ago
    That's not an option because Google has decided they don't want to bear the risks. Which, frankly, is entirely reasonable.
    - fiddlerwoaroof 3y ago
      A great example of the tyranny of the majority[1] [1]: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tyranny_of_the_majority https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tyranny_of_the_majority

neilv 3y ago

I've used the data as toxic waste analogy before. Currently, data as toxic waste is still in the phase in which toxic waste was cavalierly dumped everywhere, including into water supplies. Industry loves this phase. Once org charts start going to jail, and companies start getting hit with existential levels of fines and lawsuits, then data will be in a much better phase of toxic waste.

staplers 3y ago
Only after the major players have divested and created an alternative will it start appearing in headlines and public opinion that we should legislate it harshly.

imglorp 3y ago

Beautiful idea but I think it only applies to big, onshore players who can be sued or bullied. There are tons of little data brokers buying locations from cell companies and unscrupulous ad networks driving all those apps on your phone collecting locations for no benefit to you; these brokers are behind Delaware shell corps or offshore. Data is still gold to them.

Laforet 3y ago

Bruce Schneier wrote a similar post back in 2016, and he was ridiculed pretty badly by everybody. Interesting to see how the opinion has shifted to the other extreme in less than 10 years. https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2016/03/data_is_a_toxic.html https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2016/03/data_is_a_tox...

fiddlerwoaroof 3y ago
What I hate is there’s no way for me to say “I know the risks, I still want this feature”. I have been carefully making sure this data is collected for years and I use it all the time.
- kelnos 3y ago
  That's not an option because Google has decided they don't want to bear the risks. Which, frankly, is entirely reasonable.
  - fiddlerwoaroof 3y ago
    A great example of the tyranny of the majority[1] [1]: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tyranny_of_the_majority https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tyranny_of_the_majority