> From Dagens Nyheter [Stockholm], Aug. 22, 1986. My translation, abridged.
> The chairman of the governmental data- and public-access committee
[offentlighetskommitt'en], Carl Axel Petri, rejects the criticisms which
have recently been brought by the moderate party [conservative] and
folk-party [liberal conservative] concerning sales of personal
information from computer data banks.
> "It is important to quickly get a law that stops general sales. We
have allowed some exceptions, nine specified computer companies, but
even their sales shall, in the future, be controlled by parliament.
Nobody should be allowed to earn money by [selling] personal
information. Sales should have a public interest, in principle, the
new law will forbid sales" said Petri. ...
I'm removing a bit of context from the above, but it's nice/interesting that this was being discussed in this way back then. Ha.
The fact that this was largely ineffective against giant US multinationals that didn't respect local law is what lead to the giant international reach of GDPR.
It's good for everyone in their career to read some of RISKS. Reduces your chance of writing a self-driving car that doesn't see pedestrians. And many of the reports have an entertaining style to them. But if you inhale too much of it you'll want to go live in a computerless cabin in a computerless wood.
https://catless.ncl.ac.uk/Risks/3.44.html (1986): early F-16 software would flip the plane upside down on crossing the equator :)