TLDR; This list is a sham, designed to save face, prempt congressional scrutiny. Designed as a 'feel good' pile of nothingness to satiate the public and counterbalance the 'worldwide' negativity that INCESSANTLY builds up hatred for the corporate/industrial/intelligence complex. Designed to keep the little man in order so he feels good. Facebook is probably behind this whole pile of nonsense but anyone signing onto it is probably just as guilty as facebook.
@ForgottenSeer 58943...thanks. Wish I could have said this in these words. Exactly what I was trying to say, and I can't tell you how good it feels to read it. It sure feels and appears this way (after 20 years of watching this industry closely) to me...
Even if they are not selling or sharing data with third-parties, just by collecting a lot of data on someone is bad...
If someone has undocumented access to personal data and personal creative ideas, then there will be theft. Why, because the only people who would run a system that depended on such a breach waiting to happen methodology, wouldn't allow for it on a broad scale EVER...not just as a precaution or adherence to good policy though. Because the whole thing would eventually crash with such a hole in place...in a large scale environment. Actually, any size almost.
If a company is serious about protecting their customers and the data of their customers then they should be focusing on reducing the amount of data collection, reducing the amount of sharing of data and re-assessing which data they are sharing with third-parties, cleaning out old data, etc. The less data that is available, the less damage that is done when data is exposed.
Storing logs of data transfers including specifics of data transactions maybe? This would be a nice start. Microsoft could leave in a log a description of the purpose of each internet connection transaction and specifics on the contained data sent to the company unrelated to updates (keep those separately). This would be at least a start to setting a precedent for responsible program development and bring some encouragement to computer owners.
If a company is serious about protecting their customers and the data of their customers then they should be focusing on reducing the amount of data collection, reducing the amount of sharing of data and re-assessing which data they are sharing with third-parties, cleaning out old data, etc.
Thanks
@Opcode, I L
VE this statement. They can be publically accountable or to some independent privacy rights group or something maybe about all of this. Especially I like the cleaning out of old data, but this kind of cooperation and accountability could lead to predictable security practices that are a solid part of a much better big picture. Ex, cleaning out old data weekly, could mean finding a discrepency early on, etc. and being able to go public about a problem before it mushrooms.
I wonder if there is some kind of copy protocol that could be developed and locked into use for some server setups where data is stored (legally)? This way maybe every time data is copied it could be tracked when on an equipped server or whatever...or maybe just create a special type of protected copy/paste/cut/move whatever within program languages.
The constitutional lawyer in our family brought up a good point to me. By using US Products/Services we come under US Consumer Protection Laws, Regulations, Acts and the Constitution itself. It's incredibly illegal for the US Govt. to gather intelligence on local citizens without probable cause and due process. But if you start using offshore based products/services, you vacate yourself from legal protection because your data sudden becomes the possession of a foreign actor.
ESPECIALLY via an owner trusted platform like a phone or internet account! Illegal as HELL! It's the same thing as breaking into a home or searching a car without a warrant or without asking first. Actually, not even that should be allowed imo. Not everyone knows the law to just say no should they care to. Anyway, law enforcement doesn't need that kind of thing to "Serve and Protect".
Case in point, if you are using a US-Made, US-Stored cloud backup, a US Citizen comes under direct protection by US Law. But if you are using a Russian based cloud backup service your data is offshore, and now subject to US Intelligence gathering, and you've abdicated your legal protection to some extent. He reminded me that it is a constitutional violation to unmask a US citizen without a court order and that citizen will need to be talking to a FORN entity for the court order to have merit. Similar to how a NON-US Citizen would be using a US-Based product, they have no legal protection whatsoever.
This is why government and software companies should NEVER agree to anything privately. It should be forbidden under American law imo. Government can only get here via Microsoft or Google basically or maybe Facebook or Apple. However, won't learn anything anyway from a Russian cloud server hack that can't be learned better with old fashioned feet on the ground pulse reading and also with good old fashioned fair play...and high level diplomatic activity and pressure. This is where the magic will happen for U.S. security operations if it is going to happen and when it's combined with standard net monitoring and case study. We don't have to be a bunch of knee jerk worry turds cawking about the shape of the moon to know what it might mean that someone is using a Russian cloud service or whatever. They're acting like a bunch of shivering toy poodles in Washington the way things seem...
SERIOUSLY, they need to get on the same page with IT pros that they can trust on their lower levels...bring them in and get to the bottom of how to get this &%*$ show fixed. Fix it for business, and the rest will get fixed too. Get corporate out of the CIA and vice versa...annihilate the NSA----->completely obliterate it from the record. Find diplomats and be a civilized nation of working people. Some are going to need a computer, so, once you are done, watch over the game you have laid the framework for and watch the backs of American corps.
BTW, EVERY AMERICAN is a VIP, and EVERY AMERICAN is a JANITOR too. Special treatment is what got us here in the U.S. into this mess in the first place. It's got to stop. There isn't a reward for carrying out a civic duty or doing one's part...