A #data broker boasted having info on “1.6B people across 44 countries.”
Then it went bankrupt.
So... what happened to people’s data? #News:
https://themarkup.org/privacy/2024/02/23/what-happens-to-your-sensitive-data-when-a-data-broker-goes-bankrupt
@themarkup I'm in favor of more or less anything that restricts the flow and misuse of personal data, including especially location data. But this misses the point: were the company not going bankrupt, it could still sell or lease that data to anyone who paid the asking price. The problem is the data, not the bankruptcy.
@themarkup This is why we need jail time for brokers that let your data slip.
And the execs of those companies need to be personally liable. Their lives should be ruined when they ruin so many other people's lives.
@qkslvrwolf
That's a bit too binary. I don't think "ruined" should be the standard, but "risk." Exfiltration adds risk to its victims, and it's cumulative.
@themarkup
There's some ability to quantify how much of that risk likely translated into actual issues, and that's a thing that should be done when assessing damage and penalties
I am also 100% fine with starting with broad strokes and refining, just to reset the mindset of these fuckers.
@themarkup
> In a statement emailed to The Markup, Sen. Wyden wrote, “I commend the FTC for stepping in – at my request – to ensure that this data broker’s stockpile of Americans’ sensitive location data isn’t abused, again.”
It's reassuring to know someone's fighting the good fight on behalf of citizens of 1 out of the 44 nations affected.
@themarkup
reminds me of ceglowski's haunted by data piece on adtech bankruptcies resulting in fire sales: "Investors are herd animals. When they bolt, the adtech swamp will drain, and who knows what hideous monstrosities will be left flopping on its muddy bottom." https://idlewords.com/2015/11/the_advertising_bubble.htm
@aral