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23andMe confirms hackers stole ancestry data on 6.9M users

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Re: 23andMe confirms hackers stole ancestry data on 6.9M users

#301

Post by firen777 »

bigtunacan wrote: post #205
pc86 wrote: post #173

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Be careful you don't break something with those gymnastics. The immediate concern I had with this story is nefarious groups or individuals purchasing this data to target people with violence based on their ethnicities. Imagine if the genome of millions of Europeans was available on the black market in 1930s Europe.

Considering one of the hacker's first actions was to offer for sale data identifying people of Jewish or Chinese descent I think that's a very valid concern.

Weren't the sales surface on Oct 6th?

Re: 23andMe confirms hackers stole ancestry data on 6.9M users

#302

Post by wahnfrieden »

briandear wrote: post #231
wahnfrieden wrote: post #179

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are already businesses that practice eugenics based on illegal data like this or illegal maps

How is a map illegal?

In Japan there are maps of old caste demographics that are used to exclude categories of people based on where they’re from or their families are from from working - companies have been caught using versions of these maps that are illegal for businesses to use in hiring. They are legal to print or exist without being in use by business.

Re: 23andMe confirms hackers stole ancestry data on 6.9M users

#303

Post by WendyTheWillow »

illiac786 wrote: post #296
WendyTheWillow wrote: post #254

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When something actually happens.

the classic counter argument here is “when something happens, it will be too late”.

Yes but we tend to frown on precrime arrests.

Re: 23andMe confirms hackers stole ancestry data on 6.9M users

#304

Post by illiac786 »

WendyTheWillow wrote: post #303
illiac786 wrote: post #296

Earlier quoted context omitted.

the classic counter argument here is “when something happens, it will be too late”.

Yes but we tend to frown on precrime arrests.

I never mentioned making an arrest?… Just preventing the crime from happening because then it will be too late.

We don’t wait for a pedestrian to be run over by a car to decide that a specific road is too unsafe for a specific speed, we tend to implement appropriate speed limits to prevent such irreversible things like death from happening.

Same applies with privacy. Once a person’s data is out there, you can’t take it back anymore, so if someone every finds a way to make money out of it to the detriment of this person, it’s too late. You can arrest this someone, then the next one will pop up and do the same with the same data.

Re: 23andMe confirms hackers stole ancestry data on 6.9M users

#306

Post by tptacek »

jstarfish wrote: post #278
fragmede wrote: post #214

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"not exactly difficult"... I'm not Jewish, but I feel like there's some sort of reason for them not wanting a list of who they and where they live to exist.

[flagged]

Please don't write things like this here.

Re: 23andMe confirms hackers stole ancestry data on 6.9M users

#307

Post by WendyTheWillow »

illiac786 wrote: post #304
WendyTheWillow wrote: post #303

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes but we tend to frown on precrime arrests.

I never mentioned making an arrest?… Just preventing the crime from happening because then it will be too late. We don’t wait for a pedestrian to be run over by a car to decide that a specific road is too unsafe for a specific speed, we tend to implement appropriate speed limits to prevent such irreversible things like death from happening. Same applies with privacy. Once a person’s data is out there, you can’t take…

Yes, we definitely waited for pedestrians to be hit before deciding road speeds need to be regulated. We waited until long after many pedestrians were struck by vehicles before even considering solutions. And I can't believe I have to say this, but someone dying by getting hit by a car is more serious than someone's SSN getting leaked.

If this is such a big issue, why hasn't more happened already? Why don't we see massive insurance denials based on Facebook posts? Where are the droves of people denied loans because it's leaked they use crypto? There was a huge Ashley Madison data dump some years ago, yet there were no mass firings or even divorces as a result.

Honestly, if nothing big comes out of this DNA leak, I think the idea that privacy is critically important is dead. If someone's DNA being leaked out into the world doesn't matter in a meaningful and systemic way, then there's nothing here.

Re: 23andMe confirms hackers stole ancestry data on 6.9M users

#308

Post by Buttons840 »

kjkjadksj wrote: post #285
Buttons840 wrote: post #276

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Imagine a correlation study between genes and worker productivity, it'd be an interesting study if done correctly, but it might not be done correctly (and to be clear, I don't think it should be done at all). Now imagine you have genes that have a negative correlation with productivity which makes it hard for you to find work.

Its illegal to discriminate on terms like this though. Replace the word gene with demography and you can see why.

It's illegal now, but maybe not forever. Plus, illegal things still happen.

Or, maybe more likely than discriminating based on demography, what if certain "Obamacare" provisions are repealed and insurance companies are allowed to adjust prices based on genes, including the genes of relatives.

It's all a little far fetch, but only a little. My point is privacy is important and even those "with nothing to hide" might second guess their view when they imagine being discriminated against because of their genes. I think we probably agree on this point but got caught up in the details of a hypothetical.

Re: 23andMe confirms hackers stole ancestry data on 6.9M users

#309

Post by illiac786 »

WendyTheWillow wrote: post #307
illiac786 wrote: post #304

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I never mentioned making an arrest?… Just preventing the crime from happening because then it will be too late. We don’t wait for a pedestrian to be run over by a car to decide that a specific road is too unsafe for a specific speed, we tend to implement appropriate speed limits to prevent such irreversible things like death from happening. Same applies with privacy. Once a person’s data is out there, you can’t take…

Yes, we definitely waited for pedestrians to be hit before deciding road speeds need to be regulated. We waited until long after many pedestrians were struck by vehicles before even considering solutions. And I can't believe I have to say this, but someone dying by getting hit by a car is more serious than someone's SSN getting leaked. If this is such a big issue, why hasn't more happened already? Why don't we see ma…

> DNA leak

DNA was not leaked. ancestry only.

>someone dying by getting hit by a car is more serious than someone's SSN getting leaked.

yes, I don't see why the analogy is not valid anymore though. Analogy was about preemption, not gravity of the issue.

>If that's such a big issue, why hasn't more happened already?

Don't know, but we are running circles, my point is, we shouldn't wait for more to happen. I thought you got that.

Re: 23andMe confirms hackers stole ancestry data on 6.9M users

#310

Post by jabradoodle »

WendyTheWillow wrote: post #303
illiac786 wrote: post #296

Earlier quoted context omitted.

the classic counter argument here is “when something happens, it will be too late”.

Yes but we tend to frown on precrime arrests.

When is hacking and stealing people's personal data a precrime, when is criminal negligence a pre crime, what is your motive in any of this?
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