Data brokers are a cancer. There's a direct line from the collection, retention and processing of our data to deepfake porn and phishing scams; racial discrimination in hiring and ICE roundups of migrants; targeted election interference and identity theft:
https://pluralistic.net/2023/12/06/privacy-first/#but-not-just-privacy
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If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this thread to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:
https://pluralistic.net/2026/07/23/drop-a-dime/#privacy-theater
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