Everyone whose data was leaked will have had their data absorbed into public and private databases now being used against them in algorithmic ways that even the people using those algorithms don't understand.<p>Such is the nature of data persistent today. It persists f.o.r.e.v.e.r. That means there is no forgiveness for the mistakes that <i>even we don't</i> make for ourselves, as well as those we do, but are made for us by others, like Equifax.<p>You can tell people that a data breach like this will have certain ramifications, and they just don't understand. They don't understand that algorithms run their lives, making decisions about them every single day. Worse is that they don't realize that these algorithms run on risk modeling. These algorithms eat actuarial data for breakfast. They suck data and chop it apart and put it back together to make you into whatever risk model they want. Data is used to quantitize you as a risk model. You're a risk score, be it a credit score or whatever, is affects your life at every possible level, and it's all connected to our fundamental economic systems. I don't mean to sound like the guy from Fight Club, and certainly not half as clever, but these are truths.<p>We exist in the real world as real living entities, and we exist as multitudes of fake representations, all algorithmically-determined risk models based on data you have neither control of or even understand how it's being applied to you. Your life is owned by the heuristics written by some PhD candidate.<p>I do sound like that guy from Fight Club.