This rabbit is not going back in the hat. We need better tools which respect users, behaviour change via a new common sense, and decentralization. Not flashy legal theatrics that is out of date well before its written in law.
If you think you can legislate the world of crime away through criminal law you are terribly naive. At most it will punish a few criminals here or there while the massive crime industry continues to flourish.
Just because something bad is hard to regulate doesn’t mean you just give up. Besides, saying decentralization is the solution is even more naive, because centralized systems are more convenient and people prefer convenience to privacy.
im not even an EU citizen and already ive benefited from GDPR
I don't really understand the motivation trying to keep one's phone number or address secret.
The white pages never told me who was friends with whom. Or what everybody's sexual preferences were. Or any other data except their name and phone number.
One FB notices that you exist, they build a profile on you that includes much more than these two pieces of info. OP was trying to avoid being "noticed" by FB in the first place, to prevent the profile being assembled.
Law enforcement, most libraries and other phone companies always had access to public printed reverse number phone books in the late 1980-1990's.
Random people/companies calling you at home, harassment, generally people on the internet being less than civil especially if you are a woman.
Now however the computer will do it, virtually for free, and then the hoard of data can be dug through for incriminating (or socially awkward) information.
So his/her parents hold the copyright?
Many feel this way (about many issues these days). Let me suggest that it's not at all hopeless:
1. Security is never about 100% protection; it's about making attacks more difficult. You can't protect your data perfectly, but you can make attacks more difficult. A simple solution for phones: Use a VOIP number and forward it to or connect to it via a pre-paid phone (without giving your name). You can't stop people from sharing your number, but you can disassociate your number with your location and other data on your phone.
2. Better yet, use Signal, Tor, etc. Use cash when you can.
3. The problem can be fixed via legal action. It's happened to a great degree in Europe. If everyone walking around saying 'it's hopeless' actually did something about it, it would change quickly. And people on HN are generally the ones who understand these issues and need to take the lead for friends, neighbors, and coworkers.
Even if you do not have a Facebook account, Facebook likely has a shadow profile on you based on browser fingerprint etc showing up on various sites.
Also, your typical adblocker is not configured to block these buttons by default.
Should it ever become legal they’ll sell that info to insurance companies in a heartbeat. That’s the real risk.
https://amp.businessinsider.com/dna-testing-delete-your-data...
Even something as private as DNA is no longer under my own control. A sibling signed himself up for 23andme, and I realized that once he did that, I'm as good as being up there too. My entire family tree can now be identified because of that single person, which is scary as hell.