The wakeup really is not whether it is the NSA or anyone else buying the data, it’s about the companies providing the data to the data brokers, who on-sell it. I, just this week, reported a company who state don Google Play Store that they don’t send data to 3rd parties, and where in their Privacy Policy on their website state in numerous places where and how they send data to 3rd parties (they actually use the words 3rd parties). I also sent them an e-mail highlighting the contradiction.
The fact is they rely on us not digging any deeper than the superficial statement. Whatsapp and Facebook do really deep level metadata analysis, yet they focus only on actual message content not being harvested. It is smoke and mirrors…
I feel like Ars left out the end of the title: “…with your tax dollars.”
I guess it was implied though.
Now the real question is: Is it maybe actually even cheaper to buy them from these tech giants instead paying the people to do the paperwork and get a warrent?
Because that would be sad af
It 100% is more tax efficient and effective than going through the judicial system for every single warrant they want to execute. Can’t blame them for that.
Need to make selling aggregated personal information illegal.
Sure, just do what California did via the CCPA and CPRA.
You can opt out of that party selling your data.
Nah, it should be the default state of affairs. Data mining is stalking and theft. It centers around very poor logic and decisions.
Things like browser cookies are criminal garbage. Storing anything on a user’s computer is stalking. Draw the parallel here; if you want to shop in any local store, I want you to first tell me everything you are wearing and carrying in a way that I can tell every possible detail about it, tell where you came from before you visited this store, where you are going next. They also want to know everything you looked at, how you react to changes in items presented to you and changes in prices. They want enough information to connect you across stores based on your mode of transportation, and have enough data to connect your habits over the last two decades.
Your digital existence should not be subject to slavery either. Ownership over ourselves is a vital aspect of freedom. Privacy is about ownership and dominion. If you dislike all the digital rights management and subscription services nonsense, these exist now as a direct result of people neglecting ownership. In the big picture, this path leads all of humanity back into another age of feudalism. The only difference between a serf and a citizen is ownership over property and tools. Everything happening right now is a battle over a new age of slavery. “You will own nothing and you will be happy about it.” Eventually this turns into 'Your grandchildren will own nothing and say nothing or they will be dead about it." What you do about your privacy now will be a very big deal from the perspective of future generations.
