Let me guess, to delete your data you need to give them your data so that they can keep track that you want your data to be deleted.
Californians' data deletion requests, DROP, become enforceable Aug. 1
91–100 of 106 posts
Re: Californians' data deletion requests, DROP, become enforceable Aug. 1
#92One thing to flag from Europe and GDPR is all the malicious compliance of companies and governments using the law as an excuse to not meet some basic obligations to users like storing and retrieving useful information, or getting pretty basic customer support. It's very reminiscent of companies deliberately making cookie warnings annoying instead of protecting user privacy. Who knows, maybe this will be used to obstruct FOIA too.
Because of this, be sure to pay attention to companies getting too clever in interpreting this law, even after it's passed. It ain't over 'til it's over, so be sure to keep fighting it until we actually get the desired outcome, and track the actual compliance with the law.
The law itself sounds great, just remember that people often aren't.
Re: Californians' data deletion requests, DROP, become enforceable Aug. 1
#93As good intentioned as it is, I don't like the wording used around this law. "Request" and "Ask" and "please delete my information." Notice that regular users have to "ask nicely" but when it's something like the DMCA, which benefits corporations, they use "takedown notices" and "demand letters." I don't want to ask data brokers, pretty please with sugar on top. I want to be able to demand they do it, and require the…
The penalty for not honoring a DROP “request” is more severe than perjury (and, conversely, there is no penalty at all for not honoring a DMCA notice, the only effect is that you do not benefit from the DMCA safe harbor if you would have been liable for copyright violation without it.) You are being distracted from the substance by non-substantial surface features.
Both superficial and deep substance matter.
Re: Californians' data deletion requests, DROP, become enforceable Aug. 1
#94Earlier quoted context omitted.
It seems like you should be able to do a middle ground that preserves the commenter identity in each individual thread, while destroying the links across different threads. For example, reserve the usernames 'deleted-xxxx' where x is a number. Then when someone wants their history obliterated, loop over every thread they have commented in. For each thread, choose a random number deleted-xxxx and assign that username…
It should just be randomly generated when the page loads. "Oh, this user has the 'dormant' flag set? Generate a uid on page load" so all their comments have consistency for that one viewer for that single page load. Then if you click that user to see all the posts by them, you get an empty set. (Have the search queries return nothing for dormant users.)
Both the null search and dynamic generation per pageload (or any other randomisation across accesses or sessions) would reveal which comments/posts have been anonymised. That might be a cue to an adversary to dig deeper.
That information might be possible to determine from a comprehensive archive of HN, but it would be much harder to obtain.
The ability to disown a specific set of content (I'm not sure HN permits this) would avoid that issue. The associated account would just have a limited history, not an empty one. That would be equivalent to an after-the-fact throwaway account, which is much less attention-grabbing.
Re: Californians' data deletion requests, DROP, become enforceable Aug. 1
#95Earlier quoted context omitted.
It seems like you’re more concerned about keeping threads from years ago coherent than you are about my wishes and safety. Middle ground: on any given topic change all my comments to some random user I’d, then a different one for every topic. threads will stay coherent, but people won’t be able to follow my old user name around topics for 14 years. I’ll send an email in the morning. I have to sleep.
> It seems like you’re more concerned about keeping threads from years ago coherent than you are about my wishes and safety. This is obviously not true. We care about thread persistence and coherence as a default, because some of HN's most historically significant threads are from the earliest years. We will take reasonable steps to protect people's identity and safety once we know the specifics of the situation. We…
It is impressive how you keep repeating that line while not addressing suggestions to fix the problem by myself and others.
You’re saying “we do minimum effort” .
I am telling you It is not enough, and you refuse to even acknowledge that. You are saying “tough luck” in fancier language.
Re: Californians' data deletion requests, DROP, become enforceable Aug. 1
#96Earlier quoted context omitted.
It should just be randomly generated when the page loads. "Oh, this user has the 'dormant' flag set? Generate a uid on page load" so all their comments have consistency for that one viewer for that single page load. Then if you click that user to see all the posts by them, you get an empty set. (Have the search queries return nothing for dormant users.)
Both the null search and dynamic generation per pageload (or any other randomisation across accesses or sessions) would reveal which comments/posts have been anonymised. That might be a cue to an adversary to dig deeper. That information might be possible to determine from a comprehensive archive of HN, but it would be much harder to obtain. The ability to disown a specific set of content (I'm not sure HN permits thi…
HN will not do this.
The only thing they do is change your username on every comment you’ve ever made to something else. But they’re all the same , so you can still link all the comments to one identity, and if even one comment makes it clear it’s a real person, then they all are.
Requesting anything more results in them saying “oh yes, we respect users wishes, blah, blah” and no action.
Re: Californians' data deletion requests, DROP, become enforceable Aug. 1
#97Earlier quoted context omitted.
It seems like you’re more concerned about keeping threads from years ago coherent than you are about my wishes and safety. Middle ground: on any given topic change all my comments to some random user I’d, then a different one for every topic. threads will stay coherent, but people won’t be able to follow my old user name around topics for 14 years. I’ll send an email in the morning. I have to sleep.
> It seems like you’re more concerned about keeping threads from years ago coherent than you are about my wishes and safety. This is obviously not true. We care about thread persistence and coherence as a default, because some of HN's most historically significant threads are from the earliest years. We will take reasonable steps to protect people's identity and safety once we know the specifics of the situation. We…
Without knowing (or wanting to know) any of the particulars beyond what's posted in this thread I think I have to agree with the other poster here.
Re: Californians' data deletion requests, DROP, become enforceable Aug. 1
#98Earlier quoted context omitted.
Yes. We talk to our lawyers here in FL. We take the legal document from CA and throw them in the garbage while laughing is the current policy.
This feels like bloviating. You are unlikely to be subject to this law, and even if you were your lawyers probably wouldn't advise you to ignore laws in states where you operate. (If you don't operate in California or on California residents, then you are obviously not subject to this law.) And you're lawyers would definitely not recommend posting publicly that you plan to willfully break this law. Which suggests to…
He’s a Florida Man. Do not underestimate his capacity to defile himself.
Re: Californians' data deletion requests, DROP, become enforceable Aug. 1
#99Re: Californians' data deletion requests, DROP, become enforceable Aug. 1
#100Earlier quoted context omitted.
Both the null search and dynamic generation per pageload (or any other randomisation across accesses or sessions) would reveal which comments/posts have been anonymised. That might be a cue to an adversary to dig deeper. That information might be possible to determine from a comprehensive archive of HN, but it would be much harder to obtain. The ability to disown a specific set of content (I'm not sure HN permits thi…
HN will not do this. The only thing they do is change your username on every comment you’ve ever made to something else. But they’re all the same , so you can still link all the comments to one identity, and if even one comment makes it clear it’s a real person, then they all are. Requesting anything more results in them saying “oh yes, we respect users wishes, blah, blah” and no action.
> The ability to disown a specific set of content
We are willing to do this.
> Requesting anything more results in them saying “oh yes, we respect users wishes, blah, blah” and no action
We gladly work with users to redact any material that identifies a person or reveals their location, or that otherwise poses risk to their welfare.