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To: RummyChick

This is not to alarm you but...

Using various techniques, an analyst could possibly be able to match that DNA data against other databases containing your actual current address and most frequently used credit card. Such data could be openly purchased (you would be surprised what your cell phone and credit card companies will sell marketers), or from a hacker on the dark web (such as hacked medical information with a blood test profile).

Alone the data seems harmless, but in aggregate when multiple data sources are available, researchers have found that as few as 3 pieces of public information can uniquely identify a person. Once a person has been identified, getting their address and other information is often straightforward.

https://techcrunch.com/2019/07/24/researchers-spotlight-the-lie-of-anonymous-data/

“...looking at credit card metadata that just four random pieces of information were enough to re-identify 90% of the shoppers as unique individuals”

“Researchers from two universities in Europe have published a method they say is able to correctly re-identify 99.98% of individuals in anonymized data”

https://dataprivacylab.org/projects/identifiability/paper1.pdf “Simple Demographics Often Identify People Uniquely” “2.1. Linking to re-identify de-identified data”

https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/uk-gdpr-guidance-and-resources/personal-information-what-is-it/what-is-personal-data/can-we-identify-an-individual-indirectly/

“If you cannot identify an individual directly from the information that you are processing (for example where all identifiers have been removed) an individual may still be identifiable by other means. This may be from information you already hold, or information that you need to obtain from another source. Similarly, a third party could use information you process and combine it with other information available to them.”

This is just something to think about because our personal data is being regularly hacked and sold. With emphasis on the “sold” part.


13 posted on 10/19/2023 8:04:52 PM PDT by mbj
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To: mbj

To back up your observation and posting:

A couple of years ago, a friend somehow got scammed and had to cancel his credit cards and re open them.

Somehow his 4 digits of his SS# were possibly involved.

So he and his banker called the national SS office and discussed the possibility to discuss that issue. The SS lady was very helpful and no damage was done.

She asked if he was a California licensed driver.

He said yes and she informed him that the CA DMV had his SS#, and all of us licensed drivers had done that in getting or renewing our licenses.

She said that would keep her from ever moving to California.


15 posted on 10/04/2024 12:14:19 PM PDT by Grampa Dave (We have no shortage of so-called experts! America has the most useless aristocrats in history!)
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