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Ask HN: Why is Pave legal?

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Re: Ask HN: Why is Pave legal?

#251

Post by jnwatson »

Arelius wrote: post #211
iav wrote: post #189

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am an investor in equifax. Let me clear up a misconception on where the data comes from. Half the data comes from large enterprise customers, who “sell” the data in exchange for Equifax doing I-9 verification for free. The other half comes from 39 payroll companies. Every single payroll company except for Rippling and Gusto sell paystub data to Euifax. (Rippling will start next year). Those are exclusive revenue sh…

Do you have a sense of why, according to you Gusto will remain the only company that doesn't sell payroll data to Equifax?

Gusto is still pre-revenue?

Re: Ask HN: Why is Pave legal?

#252

Post by gperkins978 »

Kon-Peki wrote: post #214
dsr_ wrote: post #209

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You make an excellent argument here for tight regulation of the industry.

… and the usage? Most highly-paid people have no idea how much privilege this affords them. You wonder why so many businesses are nice to you? It’s because they’ve already looked you up and know you’ve got a high income and are a millionaire. Write a personal check for your next automobile? Sure thing, you can drive it off the lot a few minutes later. They won’t even bother cashing the check for a week or two. Try do…

This is also why certain homes get hit in high-end burglary crews. There are multiple crews hitting those who purchase precious metals with physical delivery (like gold American Eagle coins). It is not all positive. Considering how few victims even bother to report such crimes, it is terrifying.

From what I understand from my cousin, a career criminal, there are entire theft rings working off of databases such as these. He knew mostly of car-related theft rings, but I hear about safe-cracking burglaries quite often, usually stealing Rolex watches or precious metals.

Re: Ask HN: Why is Pave legal?

#253

Post by samus »

hunter2_ wrote: post #163
hypeatei wrote: post #136

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think that's widely understood and part of the job description of being a public servant. What's not widely understood is HR secretly selling your data while working at a private company.

> your data Is it yours though? The employer could probably argue that it's theirs. Devil's advocate: I think it's widely understood that entities can be transparent with their data if they choose, other than NDA scenarios.

The employer requires this data to do payroll correctly. Apart from that, it sound only be used for expressly authorized purposes. But maybe that's a european GDPR-influenced way of seeing this issue.

Re: Ask HN: Why is Pave legal?

#254

Post by wing-_-nuts »

Kon-Peki wrote: post #214
dsr_ wrote: post #209

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You make an excellent argument here for tight regulation of the industry.

… and the usage? Most highly-paid people have no idea how much privilege this affords them. You wonder why so many businesses are nice to you? It’s because they’ve already looked you up and know you’ve got a high income and are a millionaire. Write a personal check for your next automobile? Sure thing, you can drive it off the lot a few minutes later. They won’t even bother cashing the check for a week or two. Try do…

No thank you. I value my privacy and my negotiating ability more than I value a 'service' I didn't even ask for.

Re: Ask HN: Why is Pave legal?

#255

Post by zdp7 »

SoftTalker wrote: post #131
wing-_-nuts wrote: post #126

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I downloaded a personal report from the work number website and found to my horror that my employer was reporting every. single. paystub. gross and net, to equifax. That felt like a huge breach of privacy. Given that equifax had already proven incompetent at keeping my data secure, I immediately sent HR a request to stop sending my supposedly 'confidential' pay info. They politely told me to kick rocks, so I went on…

Don't ever work in the public sector then. Your salary is public record, open to anyone who is curious enough to look.

The information available via the public record is not as detailed (typically annual salary)and not definitively tied to any person. The Work Number is tied to your SSN and is much more detailed than the public record (each paycheck and a breakdown of different compensation).

Re: Ask HN: Why is Pave legal?

#256

Post by wing-_-nuts »

uriah wrote: post #235
wing-_-nuts wrote: post #126

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I downloaded a personal report from the work number website and found to my horror that my employer was reporting every. single. paystub. gross and net, to equifax. That felt like a huge breach of privacy. Given that equifax had already proven incompetent at keeping my data secure, I immediately sent HR a request to stop sending my supposedly 'confidential' pay info. They politely told me to kick rocks, so I went on…

Many if not most companies outsource employment verification to The Work Number. When you get a new job, a frozen report will complicate your background check. They don't give out salary info in employment checks though. AFAIK they require your explicit permission except for government agencies who use it to verify your eligibility for benefits. I would be surprised if they are not selling aggregate salary data thoug…

If they want my info, they can ask me. I would rather them not have this info before an offer is made.

Re: Ask HN: Why is Pave legal?

#257

Post by bitcoin_anon »

naikrovek wrote: post #158
darby_nine wrote: post #130

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hell you could write off all of web3 with that sentence

because web3 was a smuggling/laundering operation and those are illegal. basically, all cryptocurrency activity is immediately a suspicious activity.

Reminder that until recently, most cannabis patients relied on smugglers to treat their illnesses.

Re: Ask HN: Why is Pave legal?

#258

Post by samus »

wing-_-nuts wrote: post #161
hypeatei wrote: post #136

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think that's widely understood and part of the job description of being a public servant. What's not widely understood is HR secretly selling your data while working at a private company.

Yeah I used to work for the navy. Pay was standardized under the GS pay schedule and anybody could have looked that up. I was fine with that. In the private sector, your comp is determined by a negotiation undermined by an asymmetric information disparity. HR at a hiring company has way more information around market comp as it is without having your exact current comp when they make an offer. What I find particularl…

There are countries (Sweden IIRC) where the salary record is public, probably to eliminate this information asymmetry.

Re: Ask HN: Why is Pave legal?

#259

Post by asdasdsddd »

ein0p wrote: post #236
yonran wrote: post #104

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ironically for a question about antitrust price fixing you just named two incumbent government-sanctioned cartels (zoning and taxi medallions) that restrict supply and keep prices high. They would be illegal if private companies made them.

Zoning, ok, but yellow cabs are now often cheaper than Uber. Last time I took a ride from the airport the difference was not small, like 50%.

compete or die

Re: Ask HN: Why is Pave legal?

#260

Post by gperkins978 »

SoftTalker wrote: post #131
wing-_-nuts wrote: post #126

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I downloaded a personal report from the work number website and found to my horror that my employer was reporting every. single. paystub. gross and net, to equifax. That felt like a huge breach of privacy. Given that equifax had already proven incompetent at keeping my data secure, I immediately sent HR a request to stop sending my supposedly 'confidential' pay info. They politely told me to kick rocks, so I went on…

Don't ever work in the public sector then. Your salary is public record, open to anyone who is curious enough to look.

Public servants do not make enough money to be useful targets. The meaningful threat comes from large compensation tied to other asset information (tying an online person to that income, not difficult). You can buy lists of these already tied up and ready to download for your scheming pleasure. From English Rolex robbers to Florida kidnappers, they all enjoy the data.

I do not think it can be stopped, but the days when a wealthy person could safely live in a suburb and have the kids imagine that they are middle class is long gone. It is terrifying. The best thing for a wealthy discrete person to do is move to Singapore or Australia, or somewhere with a sufficiently low crime rate to feel comfortable, or get quality security, which sucks.

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