The real problem here is privacy and anonymity. These discrete "rating systems" used by various companies aren't particularly dangerous as long as they cannot identify users by some common identifier such as name, DOB or address. Got banned by Uber or Amazon? Just create a new account.

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nine_k 9 days ago | parent | next [-]

Both Uber and Amazon accounts involve payment methods and typical delivery / pickup addresses. All these, combined or separately, can be used as a proxy of "the same person" notion.

Well, delivery addresses can be somehow anonymized by the use of PO boxes; names on credit cards, not so much.

	▲	bilbo0s 9 days ago \| parent [-]
		I was gonna say. Of all companies, the systems at Uber and Amazon definitely know it's you starting the new account. They just don't openly mention it, and quietly link your old accounts via monitoring and analytics. As soon as the FBI comes knocking, they're able to provide your current account and all linked accounts. Even the ones they previously closed. (Not that the FBI has to come knocking nowadays to get that information, but Uber and Amazon are able to provide comprehensive help to law enforcement if it's required.)

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boznz 9 days ago | parent | prev | next [-]

>Got banned by Uber or Amazon? Just create a new account.

use the same phone number, email address or credit card and they know you are the same person, use the same wifi spot or IP address with the same behaviour and they can intimate you are the same.. Even badly written data analysis can do this and a VPN from another country and different username wont convince any system with an ounce of sense.

	▲	drnick1 9 days ago \| parent [-]
		It's trivial to use a different name, email, and phone number. Obfuscating your payment information is a bit harder, but you can request a new credit card from your bank, use a new PayPal account or similar to hide the underlying payment method, or use a prepaid card. The WiFi hotspot cannot be identified across the Internet, only the IP and other fingerprinting information leaked by the browser can, but generally speaking IPs are not fixed and tied to an individual. My point however was not to provide an exhaustive list of workarounds, just to point out that it is the lack of privacy and anonymity in our lives and enables such surveillance.

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platevoltage 9 days ago | parent | prev [-]

I've been trying to "create a new account" for Facebook in order to have the privilege of using the WhatsApp for my business. Not sure why I can't since I left the platform voluntarily.

Instaban. Every. Time.