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by pbhjpbhj 2979 days ago
People living in the EU absolutely want control of the gathering of their PII.

The only complaints I've seen about it are concerning people responsible for administrating data in companies.

GDPR represents an ideology of not giving corporations free reign to make profits at any human/social cost, but to reign them in and give people chance to consent rather than be data-raped.

Could you expand on how you think it's (solely?) ideology? What's bad about informed consent wrt PII?

3 comments

"The only complaints I've seen about it are concerning people responsible for administrating data in companies": now that we're sure some people are annoyed... how many truly benefit from it? I do understand you think it's a good thing. How many in your FB friends share your point of view? How many even know? How many will benefit?

"GDPR represents an ideology": one point we agree on.... "at any human/social cost": what cost? Can't I sue Facebook in a civil court if I suffer any prejudice just like I can sue any company?

Is there any "data-rape": if your data is processed only to choose which ad you will see, does it count as a "data-rape" for you? The ad you're seeing is the only thing of value on Facebook: your data has no value except to show you this ad.

Can you tell me where I can buy data from Facebook? I'd love to buy the friend-list of influencers who have set their privacy settings so that data doesn't leak. What? I can't? Doesn't FB sell people's data? ;-) What about famous artists private pictures then?

That's what people think of when they hear "Facebook is selling your data". They don't hear "Facebook is using your data to show you better ads which pay for the whole service".

Informed consent isn't bad. Have you read FB Terms&Conditions? Have you read the paragraph that says you're OK that FB has the right to use and reproduce the content you're posting on FB? You have already given your informed consent. Now you're trying to take it back.

> What's bad about informed consent wrt PII?

The cookie pop-up is an example of EU overeach. Doesn’t help privacy, doesn’t UI, and now everyone is just dismissing them.

One of the reasons GDPR was enacted is because the cookie law wasn't taken seriously. Companies used technical means (removing any meaningful opt out) to render the law moot in practice; as the industry failed to self regulate, the EU took the nuclear option.
I truly believe GDPR will have a similar impact as cookie pop-ups: extravagant annoyance for 0 benefit.
> People living in the EU absolutely want control of the gathering of their PII.

I know everyone here wishes this to be true, but what data are you basing this claim on?

Thank you. I for one don't care, I'm french and I live in Spain.

People SHARE their life on FB. They don't expect it to be private.

When journalists tell them Facebook is "selling" their data, they believe it because many want to believe they're victims of capitalism (that's even more true in Europe because the economy is mostly in a bad shape). Instead, they fall victim of politicians who want control (EU politicians now have POWER over american companies! how exciting), and of journalists who don't like competition (journalists work for TV stations or newspapers who sell... ads).

The only thing that has value on your Facebook page is the ad. Not your photos. Not your comments. Not your sexual or political preference. Only the ad.

We've all been fooled.