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News from the USA's State of Washington via komonews.com!
The friendly government folks in King County, Washington, have been caught buying data on local shoppers and mining it to find the home addresses of freeloading scallywags who are likely to own a pet without also having purchased a matching permission slip.
This is one small example of how the big nose of government can end up in unpleasant, uncomfortable places when it is let off its leash. It is also an illustration of how any entity can target and locate people of specific demographics via purchase and exploitation of "private" bulk data derived from common customers' commerce.
I have a strong preference to use only cash for in-person transactions and refuse the use of so-called loyalty or discount cards, which should make such data mining much more difficult, particularly as the numbers of like-minded folks increase.
(Score: 2) by darkfeline on Sunday November 06 2016, @08:01PM
Let's look at the problem from a different angle. If the government shouldn't do this, what other recourse does it have for enforcing its pet laws?
If doctors routinely violated drug safety laws, I'm sure many Soylentils here wouldn't object to the government tracking doctors' drug purchases to weed out the offenders.
Now, illegally owning pets is much less serious than poisoning patients, but it's still pretty serious (rabies, vaccines, feral strays, public nuisance, public health problem, etc.). In fact, it's serious enough that a law was made. Disagree with the law? Get it removed, then. In the meantime, get your paperwork together and stop being an asshole.
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(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday November 06 2016, @08:17PM
What are the limits of governments' power as you see them? If you believe there are ultimately no limits, then feel free to state such plainly. If you see limitations, please describe the borders.
The problem as clear as I can see it is: US governments view themselves as having no effective limits, and certainly not bound to a small list of specific delegated powers through the various constitutions that created such governments. That is the root problem, and problems such as the story highlights are but a symptom of the underlying rot.
More plainly: "law" is not law merely because it was passed by a legislature (see Norton vs Shelby County: "An unconstitutional act is not a law; it confers no rights; it imposes no duties; it affords no protection; it creates no office; it is, in legal contemplation, as inoperative as though it had never been passed.") This begs the question: "what is valid law?" Valid law is that which remains within the limits of its authority, which is defined by the US Constitution, and by the Constitution's own limits which is that of a single human individual. Anything beyond that which involves the use of force to enforce is literally criminal.
On a more practical note: dentists who hold a government-issued license may be required to follow additional restrictions such as drug safety laws. HOWEVER, someone who goes about practicing dentistry without seeking such license cannot be interferred with so long as such a non-licensed person does not commit malum in se crimes such as robbery, fraud, etc. Roger Bean is a victim of the organized crime cartel known as "government". [lewrockwell.com]