Re:Ask HN: Who really gives your personal info to Intelius, ...
by dredmorbius on Tuesday March 07, 2017 @01:05AM
(#13808586)
The phonebook was a paper-based system, with significant costs to look up and act on information at scale. You needed the books, the researchers, and the time to find and act on specific numbers.
The numbers weren't widely cross-referenced across multiple other identifier databases: shopping, driving, voting, location to 1m accuracy and 30s time precision.
Every household, small business, mafioso, or political operative didn't have a full copy of the archive, and the ability to deploy it at a moment's notice.
Or in short: scale and costs matter. In fact they dominate all other effects.
Your objection is both meaningless and betrays a profound failure of undrestanding and sympathy.
The numbers weren't widely cross-referenced across multiple other identifier databases: shopping, driving, voting, location to 1m accuracy and 30s time precision.
Every household, small business, mafioso, or political operative didn't have a full copy of the archive, and the ability to deploy it at a moment's notice.
Or in short: scale and costs matter. In fact they dominate all other effects.
Your objection is both meaningless and betrays a profound failure of undrestanding and sympathy.