
Ask HN: Why is internet privacy so important? - nagyadam2092
I see that WebKit has a new tracking prevention policy, which made me think why it&#x27;s so important for everyone to be protected from big ad companies who rely on 3rd party cookies for example.
Why the huge hassle? I could get better targeted products for example, which is a good thing, but I have a feeling that this whole area is causing problems in a bigger picture, but can&#x27;t identify what those are.
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tuyguntn
\- tomorrow you can become billionaire and someone will share your history of
porn movies to worsen your reputation.

\- after purchasing some product in physical world, you might get lots of
annoying ads afterwards

\- you have small conflicts at home with your partner and suddenly when
service which is tracking you hacked all your internal conflicts made public,
which again might hurt your reputation

lost goes on and on

~~~
jolmg
\- Businesses sell data on the purchasing history of their users. Other
companies buy this data to cross reference and derive new, more useful
information about people, for example to calculate their purchasing power.
Online businesses buy this information to accurately determine how high they
can set their price for individual customers.

------
new_guy
You're looking at this from an American perspective, which is great. You're
relatively free to say what you like without consequences.

But now look at a place like China. You have to have an app installed on your
phone that monitors everything, some families have spies actually living with
them reporting on everything[0] (like a very low tech Alexa!)

If you say the wrong thing you and your family get rounded up and killed or
sent off to organ harvesting.[1]

Now imagine having an Alexa in your home that listens and reports on
everything you say and do, you criticise dear leader even in a passing comment
and it's bye bye to you and your family.

THAT is why internet privacy is important. And maybe it doesn't affect you so
you don't care, but what if people look through your comment history, see you
as a potential dissident so take you out of the equation before you even know
what's happening.

None of this is hyperbole, it's all happening right now. Check out EFF.org for
more.

[0] [https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/china-
uighurs-...](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/china-uighurs-
muslim-xinjiang-weddings-minority-communist-party-a8661006.html)

[1][https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jun/17/china-is-
harve...](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jun/17/china-is-harvesting-
organs-from-detainees-uk-tribunal-concludes)

