[jandrewrogers]

Location and identity are inextricably linked. You can't destroy identity without also destroying location and location is critical for myriad purposes.

The analytic reconstruction of identity from location is far more sophisticated than the scenarios people imagine. You don't need to know where they live to figure out who they are. Every human leaves a fingerprint in space-time.

[nickburns]

> and location is critical for myriad purposes.

It's not though.

Critical for myriad elective purposes? Sure.

[jandrewrogers]

Only if you consider the entire concept of logistics in civilization as "elective".

[xphos]

Seems hyperbolic we had logistics that functioned extremely well before we had customer location data for sale on 3rd party sites.

[philipallstar]

If you re-read the comment they didn't say that selling it was intrinsic.

[xphos]

The article is about privacy tracking spyware cookies. I think making statements in that context about how modern logistics don't work with out location data implies you mean location data from those sources. I mean i suppose it doesn't have to but than it just feels off topic no?

[nickburns]

I don't follow what you mean by 'logistics in civilization' as that's pretty vague and amorphous.

Could you be more specific with maybe a single example of where my physical geographic location is electronically critical for a purpose that isn't elective/optional/avoidable?

(And I'm not just trying to be obtuse. I think you're touching on at least part of the 'heart' of both this conversation and that of digital ID verification.)

[quickthrowman]

How does tracking the movements of individual humans aid shipping and logistics, other than providing traffic data to freight companies? How did we manage to have global supply chains prior to GPS being invented?

Edit: I assume I am missing a crucial part of logistics that you’re familiar with, genuinely curious.