[Buttercode]

Good luck suing Equifax because you couldn't buy a home with a mortgage because Equifax had a record of you having a "low credit score" using data they collected on you that you didn't consent to. The data Equifax collects on you is both damaging and non-consensual.

[ams6110]

Assuming the data collected are not in error, you mostly did consent to it. Read the fine print of any lease, loan, or other credit agreement. They almost all say they will report payment history (particularly late or non-payment) to credit bureaus.

[reaperducer]

They almost all say they will report payment history (particularly late or non-payment) to credit bureaus.

If that was the only data reported to credit bureaus, that would be great.

But "reputation data" is increasingly becoming important in this sphere. Are you Facebook friends with people with a low credit score? Do you drive through a dodge neighborhood on the way to work? Do you watch the wrong kinds of movies? Buy liquor? Stream the wrong shows?

It's all up for grabs, and with the "credit score" formulae locked up as trade secrets, there's no way to determine if your mortgage denial was because you were one day late with a cell phone bill, or because you stop at a red light next to a pawn shop enough times that your phone thinks you're a regular customer.

[astura]

No, just no, this is complete and total nonsense.

FICO publishes exactly what makes up your credit score, straight from the horse's mouth:

https://www.myfico.com/credit-education/whats-in-your-credit...

The FCRA gives you the right to know what is in your file

In addition, the FCRA gives you the following rights (not inclusive):

-You must be told if information in your file has been used against you. Anyone who uses a credit report or another type of consumer report to deny your application for credit, insurance, or employment – or to take another adverse action against you – must tell you, and must give you the name, address, and phone number of the agency that provided the information.

-You have the right to dispute incomplete or inaccurate information

-Consumer reporting agencies must correct or delete inaccurate, incomplete, or unverifiable information.

-Consumer reporting agencies may not report outdated negative information. In most cases, a consumer reporting agency may not report negative information that is more than seven years old, or bankruptcies that are more than 10 years old

https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/pdf-0096-fair-credit-r...

So if you get denied a mortgage, you'll know why, and it certainly won't be because you drive by a pawn shop.

[astura]

Hacker News be like:

"Speech should be free and unlimited!!!.... Well, unless the topic of the speech is me, then I should be able to control 100% what what other people are saying about me, of course."

How you gonna sue someone for saying things about you that are true? That's not a thing (for good reason). Would you also sue a friend if you borrowed money from them and didn't pay it back and they warned others not to lend to you? Imagine how much a judge would laugh if you showed up to court saying "I didn't get a mortgage because I have a history of not paying my bills, I deserve compensation."

Nonsensical.

That's ignoring the fact that you actually consent to data sharing as a condition of obtaining credit products. And that's a reasonable condition with a business justification.

In the US it's politically infeasible to have any sort of government agency to collect this information, so it falls on the shoulders of private companies.

The data Equifax has on me is the exact opposite of "damaging." Because of data sharing I'm eligible for a broad range of credit products that I have gotten tens of thousands of dollars in value from. On top of that the information they collect about me allows me to pay a very small premium for car and home owner's insurance.

[wool_gather]

> Hacker News be like: "Speech should be free and unlimited!!!.... Well, unless...

This isn't a real argument unless you can show that the one person you're actually responding to has held both these positions. This is just a forum where a bunch of people opine; it's not a political party with a documented set of beliefs.