[Cialug] I Don't Hate Tikly--a Thoughtful Side-Topic Opinion

[jim kraai]

... but I do hate being forced to use third party services like it.

This isn't directly Linux related, but it is related to a trend that all of
the local technical groups are going in where we're directed to third party
web sites to RSVP or schedule or whatever for events.


I recall that government agencies used to be legally obligated to adhere to
the following principle:  If data is not required by law to fulfill a
mandated requirement, then it is unlawful to collect it.  This was an
acknowledgement that data:
1. was expensive to gather (this is no longer true)
2. was expensive to curate (this is no longer true)
3. would eventually be misused

Which led me to ... let's call it Kraai's Maxim:  The reasons for which
data are collected today will not constrain the uses to which it will be
put tomorrow.

Corollary 1:  Those collecting data today are not those who will be using
it tomorrow.

Corollary 2:  It is impossible to anticipate today what uses data will be
put to tomorrow.

Corollary 3:  It should be assumed that all data will eventually be
misinterpreted or misused in unpredictable and possibly in unscrupulous
ways.

Weak Corollary to Corollary 3:  Data that isn't collected can't be
effectively misinterpreted or misused.

- By effectively, I mean that it wouldn't stand up under rational scrutiny.

- By weak, I mean that new data can be interpolated and/or extrapolated
from what data there is depending on the quality of the source data and
what other data sources are corellatable to the source data.

So, applying the Maxim and Corollaries to tikly:

(Note that tikly requires first/last name, email address, and a phone
number.)

Over the years we've learned that eventually, tikly will have an accidental
data spill or exposure, get hacked, and/or sell out.  The only uncertainty
is when that will happen--not whether.  Keep in mind that they can't leak
or sell what they don't have.

Note that if tikly goes under--and there's a 19/20 chance they will--their
most significant salable asset will be that data.  Recent precedent has
shown that prior promises and user agreements will be thrown out so the
investors can have their claims settled partially by the sale of that data
to the highest bidder.  Until something extraordinary happens in the
courts, there's nothing you can do about such a sale or the uses to which
that data is eventually put.

It's a common practice to 'protect our privacy' by putting bogus data in
their registration forms.  We need to realize that it's ethically
problematic and potentially illegal to put bad data in a web site's
registration forms.  So that should not be an acceptable long-term practice
for a principled person.

This is why I prefer to not use third party services that gather any kind
of data.

--jim