GigaOm has an article that documents the efforts by Schufa, the largest credit rating firm in Germany to mine data from the Facebook (FB), LinkedIn (LNKD), and Twitter accounts of its customers. David Meyer cites documents leaked to German media, that the firm whose slogan is “We Build Confidence” would use the information “to identify and evaluate opportunities for and threats to the company.”
“It cannot be that social networks are systematically scoured for sensitive data, resulting in credit ratings of customers,” said consumer protection minister Ilse Aigner.
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Get over it.
I wrote about firms like RapLeaf mining social networks for employers and banks back in 2010. What is surprising to me and Mr. Meyer is that this latest social network mining operation comes out of Europe and especially Germany, a country where most people are very conscious of data protection concerns.
This goes back to the internet-age-old issue of privacy. Where is the line between public and private is it different for some groups than others? Do the NSA, CIA, MI5, and whoever else is listening get different access to data than Rapleaf, Apple (AAPL), Facebook, Twitter?
Just because the info is out there, public by default do they have the right to use it?
On the other hand users of Facebook and Foursquare happily tie their credit cards to these accounts, post status updates, and check in to places for the world to see.
Maybe we are just getting what we deserve.
Ralph Bach has been in IT long enough to know better and has blogged from his Bach Seat about IT, careers, and anything else that catches his attention since 2005. You can follow him on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Email the Bach Seat here.