Sure, the Chinese have got the info, but could they sell it to American companies? Might a US employer be interested in that dataset? How much might they be willing to pay?
Could I set up a Private Investigation firm and charge $10/file for access? Would an American pay to see their ex-husband/ex-wife's polygraph results? I could even take payment in Bitcoin.
I think the television news emphasizes the possibility of identity theft & espionage but discounts the likelihood of this data making its way back to the US.
Yes, blackmail is probably the primary concern. But anyone who has your SSN, DOB, employment history, and every address you've lived at... they can convince banks, cc companies, etc., that they are you, because those phone calls usually involve questions about where you've lived and worked.
I think the term data-laundering will come into use. It will describe the practice of taking illegally obtained data (such as this OPM leak) and selling it and plausible deniability that it comes from a clean source to willing buyers who would not otherwise have touched it because of legal liability.
I an utopia, a forbidden-fruit doctrine would develop and be enforced. Data from an illegal leak would be illegal to touch. In practice, who knows.
Could I set up a Private Investigation firm and charge $10/file for access? Would an American pay to see their ex-husband/ex-wife's polygraph results? I could even take payment in Bitcoin.
I think the television news emphasizes the possibility of identity theft & espionage but discounts the likelihood of this data making its way back to the US.