Re:Regulation could protect Facebook, not punish it
by AnthonyMouse on Monday March 26, 2018 @07:33PM
(#16683722)
> For a cable network's customers it's instantly apparent when their internet speeds suck; it's not apparent when someone sells your private data.
There is no way to tell when they sell it but there is a way to tell when they have it to begin with.
If you're using software with public source code that you know is end-to-end encrypting the message to the recipient, you know there is no third party doing nefarious things with the data, because no third party has the data to begin with.
And that's the distinction that matters. Prohibiting a company from selling your data to someone who will do evil things with it is no use if the company itself can still do the exact same evil things with it. Or just get itself hacked like Equifax and reveal all the data to the attacker.
There is no way to tell when they sell it but there is a way to tell when they have it to begin with.
If you're using software with public source code that you know is end-to-end encrypting the message to the recipient, you know there is no third party doing nefarious things with the data, because no third party has the data to begin with.
And that's the distinction that matters. Prohibiting a company from selling your data to someone who will do evil things with it is no use if the company itself can still do the exact same evil things with it. Or just get itself hacked like Equifax and reveal all the data to the attacker.