Privacy and Why We Need It
Thursday, August 26, 2010 at 6:48AM 
'If one would give me six lines written by the hand of the most honest man, I would find something in them to have him hanged'.
-Cardinal Richelieu
I believe Cardinal Richelieu hit the proverbial nail on the head with this quote. Privacy isn't something that should only matter to those living 'rightly'; it is something we should ultimately be concerned with to maintain our freedom. We need privacy to prevent the abuse of power from those in authority.
Eric Schmidt, the CEO of 'all-knowing' Google, recently made some rather disconcerting comments regarding Google, privacy, and the government. Here's a few snippets:
'If you have something that you don't want anyone to know, maybe you shouldn't be doing it in the first place'.
'The only way to manage this is true transparency and no anonymity. In a world of asynchronous threats, it is too dangerous for there not to be some way to identify you. We need a [verified] name service for people. Governments will demand it'.
'Young people may one day have to change their names in order to escape their previous online activity'.
I've heard some comment that Google has enough information in its records (email/documents/search history) to destroy every marriage and create war between nations. Once you begin giving this concept some serious thought, it doesn't seem too far from the truth. Google possesses more data than we probably even realize.
Cell phones are another issue altogether. Every place a user travels is tracked and recorded with the on-board GPS that comes standard on every phone. Even phones that do not appear to have GPS capabilities possess the same ability to track their users. This feature was initially put into phones for use by the 911 system, but its use has been expanded and modified, as can be expected.
Here's an example of how a seemingly harmless information gathering idea can grow into something intrusive and abusive. Most of us have had the experience of using shopper reward cards, the cards we scan to get discounts at our favorite stores. There are currently people who would like the government to regulate the purchase and consumption of non-healthy foods. These cards track everything you purchase, including all of your food choices. The government could take this information and either tax you heavily for its use, or provide the information to insurance companies who would in turn use the data to charge higher rates to consumers who fit a certain profile.
Free countries should not spy on their citizens. A country that watches every move of its citizenry is not a free country, it is a police state. We cannot sacrifice freedom for liberty, regardless of the facade of protection it seems to afford us. Even when initial intentions are pure, it is impossible to escape the scope creep of having that much power.
'Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely'.
Being connected gives one a sense of power; having the entire collective wealth of the world's information at your fingertips can be intoxicating. However, it makes one wonder if that perhaps someday the power dynamic will shift. Can it be that eventually the power will lie with those who have maintained the most privacy?
Postscript: If you are interested in further information regarding privacy, I recommend the wonderful lecture given by Steve Rambam at this year's HOPE conference titled 'Privacy Is Dead: Get Over It'. Click here for part one's torrent and here for part two's torrent.
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