[whackberry]

Google and Facebook are the kings of plausible deniability.

Everything they do is meant to collect personal data, but they always have the perfect excuse for doing it.

[ceejayoz]

How do you propose Google or Facebook would profit from knowing you're an organ donor, beyond simply "our employees might need an organ someday"?

[WiseWeasel]

That is actually likely to be a valuable bit of demographic data. It's one of the rare pieces of information that indicates altruism, along with charitable giving. Many advertisers would like to be able to target organ donors.

[whackberry]

> It's one of the rare pieces of information that indicates altruism, along with charitable giving.

Depending on your region, being a registered organ donor in fact says a lot about your previous medical history. HIV status, etc...

[makomk]

In Canada it also apparently used to potentially say something about your sexual orientation as well, at least if you were male - gay men were barred from donating organs a few years ago.

[whackberry]

Interesting fact, TIL.

[tomjen3]

That is the case in many countryis with blood. The Danish blood bank ran into an issue a few years ago where they warned of a possible blood shortage a few years ago and they then turned down blood from (healthy) male gays.

You can't donate if you had sex with a single male 30 years ago, but I can sleep with all the females I want and still donate.

[drivingmenuts]

> Many advertisers would like to be able to target organ donors.

The horror running thru my mind right now has pretty much made me decide never to donate anything every again.

[jonursenbach]

Yes, because them knowing if you're an organ donor actually matters to them in the long run.