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I feel the common rhetoric here is to dictate people what's ok and what's not under the assumption they don't understand. Many people (including myself) are fi

by fx32s 8y ago

I feel the common rhetoric here is to dictate people what's ok and what's not under the assumption they don't understand. Many people (including myself) are fine with the price we pay for free online services and understand the downsides. I really don't mind companies trying to show me more relevant ads by tracking and analyzing what I interact with in return for most of the products I use being free. Obviously a large group of people does either not understand the implications or does not think they are worth the services but I think it's wrong to assume you know what's best for every user.

esalman 8y ago
I agree with you on that we shouldn't assume that we know what's best for every user. But how big corporations behave is driven by greed more than anything else. Companies like Google and Facebook are becoming more greedy for data by the day and have started to cross ethical boundaries. And personally, I think greed is not good for anybody.
fermienrico 8y ago
Would you be ok with trading off your medical history for example? What about insurance companies providing you a quote based on your online habits? Browsing car modification forums and then all of a sudden your car insurance goes up. What about location based privacy? What about government powers being able to exploit existing advertisement data infrastructure for law enforcement purposes? Sure, seeing a new camera ad on instagram is harmless but the overreaching possibilities of sacrificing privacy are deep, profound for the society. There are so many aspects, I've just put forth a few above.
zAy0LfpBZLC8mAC 8y ago
So, would you be OK then with making it illegal to share any information about people who themselves didn't consent on those "free" platforms? You cannot upload pictures and you cannot mention them?
dgudkov 8y ago
>....and understand the downsides. I believe very few people (if any) actually understand the downsides of having a vast amount of personal data aggregated on every user. All the assumptions below are false: * I know exactly what information on me is given to 3rd parties by online services. * The 3rd parties can provide 100% guarantee that my personal information will remain secure and won't be stolen by hackers or unlawfully traded by an employee. * Even if it gets stolen, there is no way my personal information can be used for identity theft or socially engineered account takeover. * There is no way private aspects of my life (browsing history, online purchases, direct messages, etc.) can become publicly available.

by fx32s 8y ago

esalman 8y ago

I agree with you on that we shouldn't assume that we know what's best for every user. But how big corporations behave is driven by greed more than anything else. Companies like Google and Facebook are becoming more greedy for data by the day and have started to cross ethical boundaries. And personally, I think greed is not good for anybody.

fermienrico 8y ago

Would you be ok with trading off your medical history for example? What about insurance companies providing you a quote based on your online habits? Browsing car modification forums and then all of a sudden your car insurance goes up. What about location based privacy? What about government powers being able to exploit existing advertisement data infrastructure for law enforcement purposes? Sure, seeing a new camera ad on instagram is harmless but the overreaching possibilities of sacrificing privacy are deep, profound for the society. There are so many aspects, I've just put forth a few above.

zAy0LfpBZLC8mAC 8y ago

So, would you be OK then with making it illegal to share any information about people who themselves didn't consent on those "free" platforms? You cannot upload pictures and you cannot mention them?

dgudkov 8y ago

>....and understand the downsides. I believe very few people (if any) actually understand the downsides of having a vast amount of personal data aggregated on every user. All the assumptions below are false: * I know exactly what information on me is given to 3rd parties by online services. * The 3rd parties can provide 100% guarantee that my personal information will remain secure and won't be stolen by hackers or unlawfully traded by an employee. * Even if it gets stolen, there is no way my personal information can be used for identity theft or socially engineered account takeover. * There is no way private aspects of my life (browsing history, online purchases, direct messages, etc.) can become publicly available.