back
5 comments
> In most countries, tracking down the address of a potential victim could be a laborious process.

This report seems to leave out two important details:

1) how dependent are the bombers on using this public information? Is it essential now, or do they get the information from other means?

2) if it were shut down, how laborious are the alternatives? Data brokers already sell address data, and private investigators can follow someone home. It just doesn't seem expensive enough to dissuade a criminal organization from carrying out a bombing.

It should have been clear that a high-trust environment is only sustainable when the entire population is socialized to not abuse that trust. Otherwise the situation turns bad very quickly.
I think the article is misdirecting you.

It appears to have nothing to do with high-trust environments.

This information is cheap to determine even in medium- and low-trust environments using a data broker, street informant, or by trailing someone. It's not like criminal gangs couldn't target the relatives of gang members before computer search or published telephone directories with addresses.

You can tell it's a misdirection because it's not even believed Soha Saad - the woman in the lede who died in the bombing - was target of the bombing, and people aren't sure why the bombing took place, much less that it depended on public address information. It looks like her tragedy is being used as emotional cover for the link claimed in the headline.

There is no support for the link beyond "Experts say criminals are being greatly helped by a 248-year-old law, forming part of Sweden’s constitution." -- who are those experts?

The only named person supporting that change is "Lena Södersten, a lawyer at the Swedish Homeowners Association". She does not appear to be one of those experts.

There are implicit assumptions one makes in daily life. When I am driving, I have to assume most people will not drive intentionally to harm others. When I walk in the the street I have to assume that not every stranger will try to stab me with a knife. When I make personal information freely avaiable online I have to assume that others will not abuse that info to hunt me down in my home.

Once these assumptions no longer prove tenable I (or Swedish society) must change my behavior. Drive defensibly or as little ad possible, walk outside only where there are police, avoid dangerous individuals, take down my personal info.

All the above have consequences for society of course. Less economic activity, less personal interaction as people hide themselves, etc.

Silly Europeons. You're supposed to farm the "harassment house call" service out to the police SWAT teams. Allowing "DIY" efforts like this is messy and inefficient.