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Questions to Consider in the Coming Privacy Wars
readwriteweb.com — It seems obvious that privacy is going to be a major point of contention in the near-term future. It's only going to get hotter as major online services compile huge amounts of data about us. There are a lot of "little questions" that we need to engage with as soon as possible. Here's my list of important questions, what's on yours?
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- BoneStamp, on 01/03/2008, -2/+21So I go to the apple store, buy a product. The only thing I give them is my Visa card, no name, no phone number...etc. By the time I get home, there is a digital receipt in my email inbox. I had to think about it for a minute, but I assume it's because my iTunes account uses the same credit card.
- tmccool, on 01/03/2008, -4/+4So your name isn't on your Visa card?
- BoneStamp, on 01/03/2008, -2/+5Of course it is, but my email is not. There are 4 other people in this country with the exact same name, I don't think that's how they emailed me.
- macnerd, on 01/03/2008, -1/+1They probably asked you for your email at one point and then it stays on file. The last time I was at the Apple store I used a different card and had to tell them my email address again.
- BoneStamp, on 01/04/2008, -0/+1Nope, it was my first apple store purchase.
- tmccool, on 01/03/2008, -4/+4So your name isn't on your Visa card?
- geekchic, on 01/03/2008, -3/+31The Privacy Wars, begun they have.
- Matteos, on 01/03/2008, -0/+1"It's a trap!"
- impliedparadox, on 01/03/2008, -1/+1Seriously? I bet Mark Hammill pukes every time someone references Star Wars on something so unrelated and mundane.
- slagmacg, on 01/03/2008, -0/+1I highly doubt it.
They didn't start when AOL leaked all of their search data. Or when we learned that our ISPs are selling our click streams to Compete and other services. Or when Beacon launched. Or when we learned how Double-Click makes money.
We're all internet freaks and we care about our privacy. June and Joe Consumer are asleep at the wheel and couldn't care less.
- robojiannis, on 01/03/2008, -0/+2Our private data are not being threatened from one day to the next. It is a situation, which slowly evolved, elevated; and therefore it is a situation, that is hard to recognize. We don’t realize to what extent our privacy is actually at stake, because we embraced each step of this development.
Under that perspective, maybe a central authority protecting us is needed. But who can guarantee, that this central control will not take advantage of its knowledge?- geekchic, on 01/03/2008, -0/+3Why would a central authority have access to your private data ?
In the UK, we have the near toothless Information Commissioner which acts as an oversight of private and public bodies which hold personal data. What is needed is for the regulator to be given teeth - not for the regulator to have access to my personal data.- robojiannis, on 01/03/2008, -0/+0I also disapprove a central authority having access to your private data, I'm just referring to Marshall's 3rd and 6th point. What I meant with my previous comment was, that users willingly provide private information to the public (facebook, twitter, etc). My question is if someone should protect us from such breaches of privacy? (I believe and hope not)
- geekchic, on 01/03/2008, -0/+3Why would a central authority have access to your private data ?
- jthei, on 01/03/2008, -0/+29The best way to maintain your privacy is to use someone else's identity.
- Wiini, on 01/03/2008, -5/+11I really, really, really hate Blogs. When did the World go to Blogs (Rhetorical. Don't be a douche)? The internet was a much nicer place before 95% of your information came from some POV Blogspam filled with Ads and popups. Mom take, me back to the 90's. I know it was filled with FOrtuneCity and GeoCities homepages, dancing hamsters and low bit rate mp3s... but it's better than this.
- EditorResponse, on 01/03/2008, -0/+3Why don't you grow up, quit whining and get Firefox with either AdBlock or NoScript. I went to the page and nothing popped up or spun or anything...I stopped it all dead in its tracks with Firefox and NoScript. You pay the penalty for using Microsoft's bowser or a browser that does not have plug ins as mentioned. If you want to go back ten years why not go back twenty and just get the heck off the Internet.
- renegadeafk, on 01/03/2008, -0/+1I use firefox, but you can easily install ie7 pro for this and it works pretty good.
- antdude, on 01/03/2008, -0/+1I prefer BBS days.
- chivesandbonbon, on 01/04/2008, -1/+0co-sign.
- EditorResponse, on 01/03/2008, -0/+3Why don't you grow up, quit whining and get Firefox with either AdBlock or NoScript. I went to the page and nothing popped up or spun or anything...I stopped it all dead in its tracks with Firefox and NoScript. You pay the penalty for using Microsoft's bowser or a browser that does not have plug ins as mentioned. If you want to go back ten years why not go back twenty and just get the heck off the Internet.
- GetUthunized, on 01/03/2008, -1/+3God forbid my family checks my MySpace page after I die...
- devo9ineteen, on 01/03/2008, -0/+2...and my facebook is never re-activated
- actorboy, on 01/03/2008, -0/+9God forbid you die with a MySpace page..
- LmaoTzu, on 01/03/2008, -0/+3Call of Duty 5: Privacy Warfare is going to be a really boring game :(
- WiseWeasel, on 01/03/2008, -0/+8My only question is when are our state governments going to step up to the plate and pass legislation to protect the personal information and privacy of the residents in their state? If state governments required ISPs to dispose of data after a certain brief period, forbid tracking people by SSN, or by credit or bank IDs, limit the personal data that companies can redistribute, including limiting the federal government's access without court-approved warrants, encourage anonymous systems in electronic transactions such as fastpass bridge tolls, and other measures to protect the privacy and anonymity of citizens in this digital age, to ensure through technical means the freedom we have come to expect in this country, that would garner a lot of political support.
- AdamGorley, on 01/08/2008, -0/+1At the risk of sounding pithy, or perhaps unrealistic, maybe state governments will "step up to the plate" when their citizens tell them to. If we garnered enough public support as citizens that we could induce a legislator to enact such laws as you describe, we wouldn't have to simply hope for some politician to look for political points by pandering to us.
- Chaoticfist, on 01/03/2008, -0/+2The issue is already here. The war has already begun. For example in Canada they tried to pass anti consumer copyright laws(which we stopped for the moment) There were very serious privacy concerns as well. The US has it worse than Canada when it comes to privacy violation but i have to say chances are unless we do something in Canada we are going to get worse privacy laws.
- macweirdo42, on 01/03/2008, -0/+3As technology continues to develop at an astronomical rate, more and more privacy relies on the honor system. How do we maintain privacy in a world where increasingly, the information's already out there and we just have to count on others not using it?
- theflu, on 01/03/2008, -0/+0I'd have to say that the following article brings up some excellent points. Definitely worth checking out considering the topic at hand...
http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/archives/001027.h ... - kfed2, on 01/03/2008, -1/+1Here is some age old rock solid priivacy still in use today available for anybody. http://www.digg.com/2008_us_elections/What_to_do_i ...
- cherwilco, on 01/04/2008, -0/+1there's something happinin here
what it is aint exactly clear
theres a man with a gun over there
tellin me i got to beware
i think it's time we stop, children
what's that sound
everybody look what's goin down
there's battle lines being drawn
nobody's right if everybody's wrong
young people speakin there minds
getting so much resistance far behind
it's time we stop,
hey what's that sound
everybody look what's goin down
what a field day for the heat
a thousand people in the street
singin songs that they carry inside
mostly say hurray for our side
it's time we stop,
hey what's that sound
everybody look what's goin down
there are lawyer strikes deep
into your life it will creep
it starts when your always afraid
step out of line the man come and take you away
you better stop
hey what's that sound
everybody look what's going down x4 - OBKenobi, on 01/04/2008, -0/+1Spyware and user tracking of any kind should be made illegal. That includes spying by government organizations.
Hey, maybe we really do want to revolt? That is our right under the Constituion.
Americans, take back your government! - bzboy88, on 01/13/2008, -0/+0If you are concerned with identity theft then go build a cabin in the mountains somewhere and cut yourself off from the rest of the world...
Or come to terms with it and do what every smart person does and watch what personal information you give out.
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