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Comment by devs1010 | Hacker News Reader

Yes, I can see how it could become not benign. With the way the government has been going, I could see them wanting access to all this data and even start doing something like profiling people's buying habits.. oh, so you frequently buy packs of mini zip-lock bags (the kind they sell weed and pills in)... must be a drug dealer.. the fear is mainly that the government would become active in profiling people's buying habits, they are already trying to gain more power over online data and I can see them doing it for this too.

I think this sort of data collection could use some more regulation (in the form of consumer protection). Personally, I prefer to limit info I give to companies, I rarely put real info on those in-store cards, etc

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The government using the info without a warrant would clearly be bad. Other non-benign uses I've thought of: supermarkets sharing your shopping habits with health insurance companies, so you get higher rates if you like beer and fried food, or banks checking your buying habits before issuing a home loan, denying the loan because your habit of buying frivolous expensive things makes you too high risk.

So I see that there are possible bad uses of the data. But I don't see us heading in the direction of those bad uses. Hopefully our lawmakers will help protect our privacy while still allowing useful business analytics happen -- there's a balance to be had.

When was the last time you got a job without submitting to a "credit check"? Your very existence could be at risk if the "credit check" pigeon-holes you in the wrong category.

Credit checks are slowly being outlawed in various states and jurisdictions. Watch your social media tracks start to get scraped instead.

Bet you'll think twice before clicking Like on that next web page.

I worked at an investment bank. We used satellite imagery of EU countries to do demand forecasting. You should also know your communication signals aren't protected once they leave sovereign air space (around LEO).

If the government wants your data they can get it. Using cash, which providing some theatric value, won't make you un-traceable (commercial banks track serial numbers through their systems).

Not saying privacy regulation has no use - it does (though this example with Target seems innocuous; be wary of slippery slope fallacy). But you aren't protected against a determined counter-party.

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