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A comment on If Facebook or Google create their own currency, they can control our lives. Parent comment

Re:If Facebook or Google create their own currency, they can... by mschuster91 on Monday June 24, 2019 @06:33AM (#20262030)
> You’re forgetting that governments regulate the companies behind Libra, and can and will regulate it.

Well... let's say you're a politician wanting to regulate Facebook, and let's say you have an affair with whom you communicate on Facebook or in Instagram DMs. If I were Facebook, I'd simply let an investigation team check if any dirt can be mined out of the troves of data - anything, even the dataset of GPS or other location pinpoints, can be enough to get a first hint. And now I discretely contact you and advise that there may be information around and that it would be a pity if that information were to get public.

This is the ultimate problem with the size and capabilities that companies such as Facebook have.

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Re:If Facebook or Google create their own currency, they can... by lelima on Monday June 24, 2019 @06:41AM (#20262080)
>> I'd simply let an investigation team check if any dirt can be mined out of the troves of data

That's Dark and Illegal

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Re:If Facebook or Google create their own currency, they can... by graphGL on Monday June 24, 2019 @06:48AM (#20262116)
Yeah, Facebook would never do anything dark and illegal
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Re:If Facebook or Google create their own currency, they can... by pbhjpbhj on Monday June 24, 2019 @08:14AM (#20262696)
You're just trying to entice Facebook in to doing it, aren't you. ;o)
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Re:If Facebook or Google create their own currency, they can... by cr0sh on Monday June 24, 2019 @10:42AM (#20263974)
> And now I discretely contact you and advise that there may be information around and that it would be a pity if that information were to get public.

Is this really a threat any longer? I mean, Stormy Daniels, $130k payoff pre-election, etc and all...

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Re:If Facebook or Google create their own currency, they can... by flycaliguy on Monday June 24, 2019 @11:46AM (#20264716)
Usually when blackmailing a politician, the whole affair thing is a negotiated middle ground.
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