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Tell HN: Salary data is for sale

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Re: Tell HN: Salary data is for sale

#561

Post by wolverine876 »

drorco wrote: post #450
kodemager wrote: post #381

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think it’s hard to look at what capitalism has become today and say much positive about it. I say this as someone who works in investment finance where we sell semi-rich semi-professional investors the opportunity to become richer by building solar and wind power plants, and selling them when they are fully operational. Which is about as positive as it gets in capitalism in my experience, considering we’re actually…

I think one should not forget that Denmark's society is mostly homogenous. When you have a vastly dominant, culturally homogenous group, it's relatively easy to trust and support one another. In a highly diverse country like the US, where the average New Yorker or new immigrant will have a completely different culture and world view from the average Joe in Missouri, and that's just two examples out of many, it's very…

The reason the US does nothing about climate change, privacy, inequality, etc. is lack of homogeneity? I'd like to see some evidence of the connection. Most of those policies are opposed by the same political grouping. The US has accomplished plenty of things in the past.

Homogeneity depends on the definition of the groups. Most people in the US speak English, have a smartphone, etc. The US has long unified behind ideas - democracy, liberty, civil rights, and opportunity for all, a more perfect union, but that same political grouping has significantly abandoned them (i.e., the 'for all' aspect, which is all that matters). When we look at 'ethnic' heterogeneity (often based on little but bias) the US has always been heterogeneous. For example, Italian and Polish, Protestant and Catholic, etc. used to be very separate groups. The definitions of the groups has always been flexible and convenient.

Finally, the parent argument implicitly accounts racism to the conditions, rather than to the people choosing it - a convenient cover for personal behavior. It also fits a popular trend saying that negative outcomes and human evil are inevitable. It's not inevitable at all; we certainly have good and evil in us, and we have the free will to choose which we do - an ancient belief of the Bible, the Enlightenment, etc. Racial division is a choice. There is nothing more inevitable about it than Protestants hating Catholics. Humans have done good things and bad things, and democracy - overwhelmingly the most successful form of government in history - has succeeded by depending on the good in people. You can do it right now.

Why would people look for arguments that success is impossible? We have accomplished incredible things and have much more to do.

Re: Tell HN: Salary data is for sale

#562

Post by stuckkeys »

If you are a resident of WA or CA, your information is not on that platform. I tried to fill out the “do not sell my information” form and I got a page that said this option is not available in your state. I am assuming the obvious. Perhaps my judgment is clouded. Thank you for this information OP.

Re: Tell HN: Salary data is for sale

#563

Post by wolverine876 »

Grustaf wrote: post #554
bigfudge wrote: post #484

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I used to think this, but I'm not sure the evidence actually supports it. The UK has similar levels of immigration and overseas-born citizens as Scandi countries, but nowhere near their levels of social cohesion/social democracy. We were more similar < 1980, but I think the rhetoric from right wing corporate and billionaire-owned press, and now the internet, has eroded it to a large degree.

The UK is like Sweden, but Denmark (and Finland) are much more homogenous. And Sweden only retains social trust because it was still homogenous 20 years ago, most people don't realize they essentially live in Rio.

What is that based on? It seems circular: You blame 'heterogeneity' (a concept based on a myth), it is having no effect, so therefore people just must not realize it.

> Rio

What do you mean by that?

Re: Tell HN: Salary data is for sale

#564

Post by peoplefromibiza »

kryptiskt wrote: post #536
jwr wrote: post #529

I find the EU approach so much better. Your personal data (which means anything that can be used to uniquely identify you as a person) is your property, and the default is "no permission to use".

That's a view through rose-colored glasses, GDPR isn't that powerful (and it only applies to user-supplied data, not all personal data). As a relevant example, in Sweden your taxable income is public information.

> in Sweden your taxable income is public information.

GDPR protects against automated personal data processing, not against publishing of public - by the law - data.

Re: Tell HN: Salary data is for sale

#566

Post by wolverine876 »

streamofdigits wrote: post #512
jtbayly wrote: post #506

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So capitalism is infinitely worse than the one-child policy?

Please stick to intelligent discussion. I didn't specify an alternative model for a good reason, it doesn't exist yet. But your attempt to pre-empt that the only possible alternative is Chinese style state-sponsered capitalism illustrates the paucity of your imagination or the malice of your intentions

> I didn't specify an alternative model for a good reason, it doesn't exist yet.

There are plenty of alternatives to what the US does. You can see them in other politically and economically advanced countries, which achieve far better results. You can see them in relatively recent US history.

Re: Tell HN: Salary data is for sale

#567

Post by drunner »

varenc wrote: post #88
BeefySwain wrote: post #21

NOTE: It is possible to freeze access to your employment data here: https://employees.theworknumber.com/employee-data-freeze That being said, it doesn't stop employers from continuing to hand Equifax your data on a gold platter, and therefore does nothing to protect you from the inevitable data breach that will result in Equifax being required to give everyone affected $0.36 or one year of free credit monitoring.

Wow placing a freeze requires filling out a PDF form, attaching a scan of your ID, and then sending it in over email, mail, or fax. The PDF lacks built in form fields you can type in. The extra friction is probably a feature: https://assets.equifax.com/wfs/theworknumber/assets/twn_Empl... (the exif data on that PDF shows the name of the employee that created it and that they used Word 2010...) The Equifax CCPA reques…

At least they let you mail or email.

I faxed them 4 times in 6 months to verify my identity because they have me confused with someone else and eventually just gave up.

They said any other alternative was not supported.

Re: Tell HN: Salary data is for sale

#568

Post by mpmpmpmp »

lolinder wrote: post #137

Note that QuickBooks will now contribute to this data unless an employer explicitly opts out. I had to bring it to my employer's attention when they first rolled it out. Most small businesses that use QuickBooks won't have heard of it and will be contributing salary data by default. https://quickbooks.intuit.com/learn-support/en-us/help-artic...

Straight from your link.

"No data is shared unless your employees specifically request it to be shared, usually as part of an application process for loans, credit, or public aid, or in response to a permissible purpose under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (“FCRA”), such as a court order."

Re: Tell HN: Salary data is for sale

#569

Post by kodemager »

jtbayly wrote: post #510
kodemager wrote: post #381

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think it’s hard to look at what capitalism has become today and say much positive about it. I say this as someone who works in investment finance where we sell semi-rich semi-professional investors the opportunity to become richer by building solar and wind power plants, and selling them when they are fully operational. Which is about as positive as it gets in capitalism in my experience, considering we’re actually…

> So how do you change the world without capitalism? The answer is probably in taxing the rich, but good luck with that. That would work for a year or two, until you had egalitarianized the money so everybody had the same amount. Then what? And what would be the effect of that?

Everyone wouldn’t have the same money. 80 years ago we taxes the rich around 80% on their over all income, then thatcher and regan paved the way to the world we have now, which is obviously having issues.

I may have come off overly negative toward capitalism because I posted early in the morning, but my general point was that it’s the only economic engine that works.

It sort of breaks down when it’s not regulated though, which is why I think we’re seeing so many issues tied to financial inequality in the world today.

I don’t think the solution is for everyone to have the exact same amount of money, but I struggle with how you can look at the current state of the world and think that it’s great. We need to help poor people get better opportunities, without ruining the systems we have for everyone else. I mean, history has shown us again and again what happens if we don’t.

Re: Tell HN: Salary data is for sale

#570

Post by beardedetim »

chrisjc wrote: post #533
qbasic_forever wrote: post #213

If people are upset their employers are selling this information to Equifax, you know it would be a fantastic thing that an organized bargaining unit of all your fellow coworkers could demand your employer cease. Might be time to start talking to coworkers about this and many other things that upset you about your employer.

Or perhaps since your "private" salary data seems to be getting shared with anyone, why not just embrace it? Start sharing it with all your colleagues?

This. I think as I re-do my website, I'm adding my current salary next to my current position. Seems about the right thing to do.
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