back to article You can buy personal info of US military staff from data brokers for just 12 cents a pop

The sensitive personal information of American military personnel and their families is on sale from US data brokers for a pittance, Duke University academics have found. That personal data, sold for as little as $0.12 per record, is said to pose a threat because it could be acquired by foreign adversaries for malicious …

  1. Yorick Hunt Silver badge
    Trollface

    Well it's a good thing they banned TikTok.

    Getting someone's name, date of birth, address, medical records and religious practices is one thing, but finding out if they prefer cat videos or dog videos is just over the top!

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Well it's a good thing they banned TikTok.

      Surely TackyTok is to grab the location data?

      Anonymous, because I know they're watching!

  2. Potemkine! Silver badge

    Talking about personal data

    A russian officer was eliminated by Ukraine thanks to his appetite for tracking applications (in that case Strava). I wonder how military personal worldwide make the same dumb thing.

    1. Hans Neeson-Bumpsadese Silver badge
      Facepalm

      Re: Talking about personal data

      I've seen stories before about how in-theatre bases were easily identifiable from apps like Strava, Map My Run, etc. - military personnel with GPS trackers take their daily exercise by running laps of the compound, and upload a graphic description of the boundary to the various fitness apps for all to see.

      1. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

        Re: Talking about personal data

        Especially since it was No-such-Agency forces in places where we have no declared operations

        Why is there a bunch of guys called "Chuck" on Strava whose profile pictures have a buzz-cut, jogging around the same square somewhere in Yemen ?

      2. MachDiamond Silver badge

        Re: Talking about personal data

        "I've seen stories before about how in-theatre bases were easily identifiable from apps like Strava,"

        I remember a story about that. It's not just that people are doing fitness runs around an inside perimeter as that's not hard to determine, but since they were also wearing a FitBit or comparable device while on security duty which gave information on patrol routes, how quickly they make those rounds, where they might linger for a smoke or to make checks that doors are secured and when there are shift changes. That freaked out some base commanders that all of the information was publicly available. Honestly, the military should know better as intel staff on "our" side are thinking about how they can spy, um.... gather information, on the other guys.

        1. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

          Re: Talking about personal data

          So we need to encourage ISIS to wear Apple watches and sign up for strava ?

          Perhaps some sort of cross-branding initiative ?

  3. Zippy´s Sausage Factory
    Meh

    US privacy law incoming then?

    I can imagine a certain section of US politicians loving this - a lovely big stick to beat "big tech" with.

    Naturally, they'll try to regulate social media, rather than data brokers, but hey...

    1. Doctor Syntax Silver badge

      Re: US privacy law incoming then?

      Beating up BIg Tech with an election and all that associated expenditure coming up? Blaming the Chinese seems more likely.

    2. MachDiamond Silver badge

      Re: US privacy law incoming then?

      "I can imagine a certain section of US politicians loving this - a lovely big stick to beat "big tech" with."

      At the same time, those politicians are very enamored with tech and are giving military contractors untold (because their account is shite) bales of money to keep developing more of the same. The great thing about paper is that copies are more laborious and the operating system can't be hacked.

    3. johnfbw

      Re: US privacy law incoming then?

      It would be very American to bring in privacy laws, not to protect people, but to protect the military! It is scary how much data is freely distributed about people in the US - and all of it could be used for potential blackmail - not just for the military

  4. Tron Silver badge

    Not worth it. No need. Why bother?

    America's gun laws ensure that Americans kill more Americans than terrorists could.

    The US government regularly hits an impasse and stops working as the two parties hate each other.

    The culture wars and political divide there is as much a tinderbox as the Balkans.

    Ukraine is running them out of ammo.

    US government sanctions are reducing their access to resources and markets.

    The national debt is stratospheric and will only get worse as they seek to replicate everything China does domestically.

    The America First policies and subsidies that both parties support are antagonising their allies.

    They are taking down their own tech sector, which has driven their economy and their global power for decades.

    They are removing Chinese access to US tech, which will block their own ability to spy on China via back doors in it.

    So there is nothing that terrorists or enemy powers can do to the US that the US is not doing to itself, far more effectively.

    1. MachDiamond Silver badge

      Re: Not worth it. No need. Why bother?

      "America's gun laws ensure that Americans kill more Americans than terrorists could."

      The statement would be less inflammatory if you added a few words to the tune of "that American criminals kill more....". The average US citizen has never and will never discharge a weapon at another person. The average criminal has a higher chance of doing that with the intent to kill so to be able to rob somebody. The person found recently in the nation's capital with an "AR-15" (media people don't know one weapon from another) didn't likely acquire that rifle legally and it will probably turn out to be stolen. The average American isn't even likely to be a menace to tin cans past a certain distance with a firearm.

  5. drankinatty

    We have no one but ourselves to blame...

    The sad part is there are maggots out there willing to aggregate and then push other peoples pilfered data for profit.

    The equally sad part out there is there are maggots willing to buy the aggregated data of dubious origin.

    It seems data brokers and their clientele have become the Farangi of our time (from the Star Trek Next Gen and follow-ons).

    It's the side effects on the lives of real peoples that are lost in this frenzied capitalistic data-centric masturbation. The 23andMe intrusion that lifted close to a million personally-identifiable genetic records. In this cesspool, it is the insurance companies and actuarials playing to part of the buyer maggots who with a gleam in their eye suck up all the health data for purposes they are not allowed to under HIIPA in the States. (you guys on the other side of the pond have similar medical information rules.

    Six months later your parents are in tears because they are uninsurable for some nebulous reason given by their health insurer. And the chilling anecdotes just keep on coming. Good lord, where does it end? (rhetorical question)

    1. ArrZarr Silver badge
      Unhappy

      Re: We have no one but ourselves to blame...

      We live in a world run by Ferengi. Data brokers are just one type of organisation run by them.

      Aside from the ears, the only real difference between the people in charge is the fact that the Ferengi were allergic to "respect women juice".

POST COMMENT House rules

Not a member of The Register? Create a new account here.

  • Enter your comment

  • Add an icon

Anonymous cowards cannot choose their icon

Other stories you might like