Data Clarity

  • Comments posted to this topic are about the item Data Clarity

  • OK, companies like Google would argue that every internet company collects and archives data from users of their apps. It's not just their business model, it's the business model of the world wide web. They'll even point out that their data collection policy is explained on page 85 of their terms of use agreement that everyone is supposed to read. But the thing is, it doesn't matter. They're missing the point.

    If I had aspirations of running for political office (which I totally don't), my primary issue would be digital privacy and internet infrastructure security. Folks get angry when they learn that apps are tracking their daily location, viewing habits, and what they consider to be private communications. They get even angrier when they learn that billion dollar corporations are getting rich distributing (or leaking) all this data to law enforcement, their employer, their next door neighbor, scammers, and even Russian mobsters. That's not just hyperbole; it's a matter of fact, and it's one issue (perhaps the only issue) where the vast majority of the general public (left and right, rich and poor, black and white) are all on the same page. When (not if) we do see a third party rise up here in the U.S., this will be their primary angle of for attacking the political and corporate establishment, and companies like Google and FaceBook will get caught in the crossfire. I tell you, things could change overnight.

    "Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the wise. Instead, seek what they sought." - Matsuo Basho

  • I agree with Eric.  Just because nothing has been done about it so far doesn't mean that change isn't coming.  Personally, I think the balance between privacy and security has to be addressed sooner rather than later, and, I believe that data retention laws will be the way society can achieve this balance.  As for companies whose business model relies on selling their user's data...spying on your fellow citizens = not cool.

    The three biggest mistakes in life...thinking that power = freedom, sex = love, and data = information.

  • Good topic, but one I've got a question about. Where I work we deal with patient data daily. HIPAA regulations are very important and all employees are instructed as to just how important and what we collect. To me, it almost seems like given that any employee should expect that we're going to collect data as to who they are and when they viewed such-and-such a patient's data.

    Kindest Regards, Rod Connect with me on LinkedIn.

  • Once upon a time, corporations thought they had a right to dump their waste in the river, conceal the ingredients they put in their products, and incredibly even buy and sell people into forced labor. The arguments was always the same: they're business model depended on it, it wasn't illegal, folks depended on them for a paycheck. Eventually, all those business models were torn down and replaced with something better. Sometimes the old corporations simply evolved, and sometimes they became extinct. Microsoft, IBM, and Apple are examples of companies that have proven themselves to be agile when it comes to their business models, not linked to any one primary revenue stream. I believe Google can do the same, and maybe even FaceBook (but I wouldn't bet money on it).

    "Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the wise. Instead, seek what they sought." - Matsuo Basho

  • Eric M Russell - Wednesday, August 29, 2018 7:43 AM

    OK, companies like Google would argue that every internet company collects and archives data from users of their apps. It's not just their business model, it's the business model of the world wide web. They'll even point out that their data collection policy is explained on page 85 of their terms of use agreement that everyone is supposed to read. But the thing is, it doesn't matter. They're missing the point.

    If I had aspirations of running for political office (which I totally don't), my primary issue would be digital privacy and internet infrastructure security. Folks get angry when they learn that apps are tracking their daily location, viewing habits, and what they consider to be private communications. They get even angrier when they learn that billion dollar corporations are getting rich distributing (or leaking) all this data to law enforcement, their employer, their next door neighbor, scammers, and even Russian mobsters. That's not just hyperbole; it's a matter of fact, and it's one issue (perhaps the only issue) where the vast majority of the general public (left and right, rich and poor, black and white) are all on the same page. When (not if) we do see a third party rise up here in the U.S., this will be their primary angle of for attacking the political and corporate establishment, and companies like Google and FaceBook will get caught in the crossfire. I tell you, things could change overnight.

    If you ever do this I volunteer my efforts to this noble cause. I wish privacy was taken more seriously as a right instead of an abusive business metric.

  • IMHO - Wednesday, August 29, 2018 8:10 AM

    I agree with Eric.  Just because nothing has been done about it so far doesn't mean that change isn't coming.  Personally, I think the balance between privacy and security has to be addressed sooner rather than later, and, I believe that data retention laws will be the way society can achieve this balance.  As for companies whose business model relies on selling their user's data...spying on your fellow citizens = not cool.

    Remind me of "Who Watches the Watchmen?". I see the issue as more about ethics than business models.

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