> when you gather a lot of information on people, you become a target The uncomfortable truth for many HN readers is that this is also true for all of that use

> when you gather a lot of information on people, you become a target The uncomfortable truth for many HN readers is that this is also true for all of that user data that businesses are currently aggregating: from the data people trust an online service to manage to the modern version of "library records" we call analytics. Thee is value in all of this, or it wouldn't be worth paying to collect/store it. Unfortunately, even if the data is collected with the best intentions, the fact that the database exists creates a target that must secured. It also creates an "attractive nuisance" for governments holding national security letters and PRISM. Those are troubling enough, but gathering data about people has another risk that is rarely addressed: moral hazard. There is always the temptation to sell that data to the highest bidder, which we have seen happen many times as businesses look to find new ways to "monetize" their users.