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Marketing Firm Exactis Leaked a Personal Info Database with 340M Records

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Re: Marketing Firm Exactis Leaked a Personal Info Database with 340M Records

#131

Post by mindslight »

dang wrote: post #120
mindslight wrote: post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

s/white/ass/. A white hat, in the context of these surveillance companies, would be Tyler Durden.

Could you please not post unsubstantive comments here?

I was calling attention to the vast difference between what the status quo security industry considers white hat and what free individuals should consider white hat - low corporate pain versus actually closing the hole.

As I and others have said elsewhere, the data was leaked the moment it was collected and priced for selling to attackers. Forgoing full disclosure is really just blunting the truth, giving corporate whitewash a leg up, and delaying society learning the lesson of what we're up against. As (presumably) individuals and not owners of surveillance companies, we shouldn't bless this behavior as being in the public interest.

Re: Marketing Firm Exactis Leaked a Personal Info Database with 340M Records

#133

Post by geocar »

JumpCrisscross wrote: post #121
geocar wrote: post #110

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> fines don't usually go to the people injured by it, Well they do. Our government takes money through fines and taxes and uses it to build infrastructure and provide services. > which would make sense with personal data being leaked. My preference would be that personal data not be leaked at all. Ideally the warnings and fines kick in long before that happens. > A fine also misses companies who are "doing what the l…

> My preference would be that personal data not be leaked at all Me too! But not at any cost. This discussion involves thinking about scope (both in who and what is regulated), penalties (both in frequency and magnitude) and pre-emptive enforcement, if any. The trade-offs are far-reaching. A conservative approach is prudent. (It's also politically resilient.) > GDPR is quite broad and open to interpretation by both s…

It's only been law for almost thirty years in some places, but pray Europe be prudent!

And what is this "any cost" rubbish?

Re: Marketing Firm Exactis Leaked a Personal Info Database with 340M Records

#134

Post by anonymous5133 »

axaxs wrote: post #14

When will this stop? When's the last straw? If I gave a bank 100 dollars, and they lost it, I'd have avenues with which to pursue some sort of justice. If I give a company my data, and they lose it, oh well. I wish all personal data was treated like HIPAA, at a minimum.

I think it can be explained with game theory. Right now customer data is massively valuable to a company for all sorts of reasons. A data breach is unlikely to occur and if it does occur then the financial loses to the company are much less (on a risk-adjusted basis) compared to the benefits. Every company has every incentive to collect as much consumer data as possible.

It will only change when consumers demand it to change or outright refuse to give their personal information away. I think everyone should adopt pseudonyms for everything and to be constantly changing their pseudonyms regularly.

Re: Marketing Firm Exactis Leaked a Personal Info Database with 340M Records

#135

Post by geocar »

jstanley wrote: post #129
geocar wrote: post #110

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> fines don't usually go to the people injured by it, Well they do. Our government takes money through fines and taxes and uses it to build infrastructure and provide services. > which would make sense with personal data being leaked. My preference would be that personal data not be leaked at all. Ideally the warnings and fines kick in long before that happens. > A fine also misses companies who are "doing what the l…

> > fines don't usually go to the people injured by it, > Well they do. Our government takes money through fines and taxes and uses it to build infrastructure and provide services. That's only true if you consider the public at large to be equivalent to any individual member of the public, or if you believe only the government is "injured" by a data breach. If I stole all your money and repaid it in fines to the gove…

> That's only true...

Nonsense.

> If I stole all your money and repaid it in fines to the government instead of directly to you, would you consider the matter settled?

I mean, that's typically how it works.

People get robbed by people who don't have the ability to directly restore what they've taken, so the state takes them into custody and makes them a productive member of society.

Would I consider the matter settled? Gee, I've seen some really stupid arguments on the Internet that have made me wish I could punch someone over TCP/IP, but while I'm wishing I'm not going to wish for that either.

Re: Marketing Firm Exactis Leaked a Personal Info Database with 340M Records

#136

Post by geocar »

fauigerzigerk wrote: post #128
geocar wrote: post #110

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> fines don't usually go to the people injured by it, Well they do. Our government takes money through fines and taxes and uses it to build infrastructure and provide services. > which would make sense with personal data being leaked. My preference would be that personal data not be leaked at all. Ideally the warnings and fines kick in long before that happens. > A fine also misses companies who are "doing what the l…

>Our government takes money through fines and taxes and uses it to build infrastructure and provide services. Using fines to fund public services creates perverse incentives though, especially where the fines go directly to the agency that brings the case.

Well, this certainly happens at small scales: Police who issue speeding tickets in the US to fund the police force; but it's not clear it happens at large scales.

Re: Marketing Firm Exactis Leaked a Personal Info Database with 340M Records

#137

Post by jstanley »

geocar wrote: post #135
jstanley wrote: post #129

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> > fines don't usually go to the people injured by it, > Well they do. Our government takes money through fines and taxes and uses it to build infrastructure and provide services. That's only true if you consider the public at large to be equivalent to any individual member of the public, or if you believe only the government is "injured" by a data breach. If I stole all your money and repaid it in fines to the gove…

> That's only true... Nonsense. > If I stole all your money and repaid it in fines to the government instead of directly to you, would you consider the matter settled? I mean, that's typically how it works. People get robbed by people who don't have the ability to directly restore what they've taken, so the state takes them into custody and makes them a productive member of society. Would I consider the matter settle…

> Nonsense.

Can you please detail why paying a fine to the government is the same thing as paying a fine to the people injured by a crime?

Re: Marketing Firm Exactis Leaked a Personal Info Database with 340M Records

#138

Post by stef25 »

reilly3000 wrote: post #92

Information inequity. Whomever has access to this data had an advantage on 340M people, and opportunity to understand and influence them. I think the antithesis of would be information redistribution. Everybody should be entitled to access all of this information if anyone has it. Just for fun lets say the only caveat is that all information access is also public and linked to each identity. Do you think its better o…

Companies are in some cases (in many cases actually) perfectly allowed to collect user information and from a business perspective would be stupid not to do.

Every time you use a loyalty card that information is collected and yes it's used to understand you and perhaps even influence you, to buy certain products. Buying diapers? Have a look at these baby toys. Most people will throw their personal information out there for a price reduction.

The problem here is the leak, not the fact that it exists.

Re: Marketing Firm Exactis Leaked a Personal Info Database with 340M Records

#139

Post by tjoff »

hhh wrote: post #4

With reasonable verification, anyone confirmed to be a part of this breach should be given access to the data, if only for good will. It's a sad state to see that the recklessness (or incompetence) of one entity, and at that a private one, can quickly become a domino in a chain that ends in toppling a person's privacy. They advertise themselves as having the most accurate data (why wouldn't they advertise themselves…

With GDPR that would be your legal right.

Re: Marketing Firm Exactis Leaked a Personal Info Database with 340M Records

#140

Post by codedokode »

It is obvious that selling customers' data gives more profit than not selling. No wonder that in countries with little regulation personal data are collected and sold in mass. It is the most profitable strategy for companies that have those data.
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