[steelframe]

Whenever I start feeling smug about how cagey I've been about data brokers in the past, I remind myself that enough of my relatives have handed over their DNA to operations like 23andMe so as to render my efforts futile.

[thomassmith65]

Most likely, they're also sharing photos, videos and intimate details of you on social media.

[beng-nl]

And have corresponded by email to/from GP using a hosted email provider..

[globular-toast]

Yeah, and by not participating directly yourself you just earned a tag of "non-conformist", "weirdo" or perhaps "entity that has something to hide".

[swyx]

respectfully, privacy is important, but what exactly are the attack vectors if, say, I had your DNA? what happens?

[1659447091]

Health insurance first, is my guess. A way to discriminate; like car companies (GM) sharing data with insurance companies. But on a whole other level.

[grumple]

The administration could decide to detain, deport, or kill everyone who has certain traits - say, Jewish, or Arab, or Mexican, or maybe just has undesirable traits. The db of millions of users makes this very easy.

The US admin is already at the stage of mass deportations. Detention camps (beyond those we already have at the border) are probably not far behind.

[mixmastamyk]

Let’s look at the history…

One drop rule. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/One-drop_rule

IBM and the Holocaust, Japanese Internment, Stasi. Sibling mentions a worrying current development.

[kristiandupont]

Most people here seem concerned about insurance companies misusing personal data or a full-on totalitarian government takeover. However, my concern is about becoming susceptible to manipulation and coercion. A significant aspect the last election was the use of "Super PACs" like Elon's which targeted individuals on social media to influence their decision.

I think this trend will continue, not just in politics but across all sectors. The internet you experience will be tailored to your personality completely, but it will also be shaped to steer you in directions decided by who pay the most. The more data they collect about you, the more effective this manipulation will be.

This doesn't even account for the risks posed by malicious actors who might target you using this information.

[lelandfe]

Did Facebook ever create a way for someone to delete the “shadow profiles” it builds for non-users?

I have a suspicion it will entail making an account.

[r00fus]

I hear the tried and true approach is to make an account and poison their well with fake but somewhat realistic data and don't close it.