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Comment by gooseus | Hacker News Reader

I agree, but this is not a helpful point form which to start a conversation. It's lazy and below the standards many expect from HN.

A better way to start this conversation (imo) would be to make reference to the many mistakes Equifax has made over the years and ask what is preventing Equifax from facing real consequences, such as being shutdown?

It's the effort that people place into having genuine conversations that keeps me coming back here and not just hanging around Twitter and Reddit. If someone wants to be lazy and still get online validation, there are communities for that and if you want to have a real conversation here, but don't have the time/energy to start it properly then all you have to do is wait a few minutes and someone who does, will.

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So you want someone to write three paragraphs for what can be said in six words? I prefer the brevity.

No. I want no throwaway easily consumable venting.

Either take the time to contribute meaningfully or don't comment at all.

Anything else is pollution.

Yes, I'd like to see someone demonstrate that they put some thought into the idea of what happens when, say, credit reporting agencies are eliminated or curtailed. What would be the negative repercussions, etc.

In contrast to a low-effort farting of "break 'em up!" for karma. That doesn't bring anything new to the conversation.

It seems like you're arguing against a pithy call to shut down credit reporting agencies in general, when the comment at issue was specifically directed at the credit reporting agency that has the worst public track record for security and privacy. It's like if you had asked "but how will the economy function without accountants?" in response to the dismantling of Arthur Andersen, or asked how online banking could survive without Symantec SSL/TLS certificates.

The consequences of shutting down just Equifax are relatively mundane: lenders and other customers of Equifax take their business elsewhere, and Equifax's competitors have some motivation to be a bit better lest they suffer the same fate. The industry as a whole would get along just fine. The less realistic and more extreme hypothetical that you want to debate is irrelevant here.

It seems like you're arguing...

My argument was in my last sentence, in response to the defense of pithy comments that millions already beat to death six months ago. I'm arguing neither for nor against the shutdown of Equifax.

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