Barb Dwyer
Literotica Guru
- Joined
- May 30, 2001
- Posts
- 939
I know I started a thread the other day about the rental car company using GPS to monitor customers' driving habits and tacking on $150 surcharges for speeding. But this article outlines other ways in which our privacy is being compromised on a daily basis.
I am loathe to sound like a conspiracy theorist or an alarmist, but I do harbor genuine concerns over these matters. Do you?
Many of you have thoughts about stem cell research, gene mapping and cloning. I imagine that many people share my beliefs that these are noble, benevolent humanitarian goals. But, of course, the potential exists for corruption and misuse.
Banks and other financial institutions had to inform all customers by July 1 of their privacy policies. And of course there is a big debate going on now regarding release of our medical information.
I just don't want my appliances - and especially my TOILET, telling tales out of school on me!!!
I mean, some things just demand discretion and prudence.
Having a commode monitor me and rat me out just.....well, it REEKS!
As technology advances, personal data becomes public domain
By Rowland Nethaway/Cox News Service
07-14-01 WACO, Texas -- A friend hates computer cookies, those little electronic "tattle-tales" that track your movements when you get on the Internet. She remains in a constant state of war with cookie monsters. I have thrown in the towel.
An online purchase of a present for my daughter is quickly followed up with e-mail for breast enlargement potions and lingerie catalogs.
I take it in stride. It's just too much work to keep your privacy on the computer.
Besides, I know my offline purchases have been tracked for years. The nation's credit card companies probably know more about my spending habits and lifestyle than I know.
Since I've started charging my groceries on a credit card, there are computers somewhere that know what I eat and how much. They also know how much toilet paper I use, and how often I wash my clothes and change my air-conditioner filters.
My state for years has sold all the information on my driver's license, along with the personal data of every other licensed motorist. Many states do this.
The privacy of Americans is coming under attack from all sides. Much of it is spurred on by rapid advances in technology. Society, lawmakers and the courts can't keep up with the technological advances that threaten privacy.
Efforts are underway to protect the privacy of the medical histories of Americans. That seems reasonable. Not many Americans want their friends, neighbors, bosses or the world to know what goes on between them and their doctors.
Now that scientists have mapped the human genome, it will become possible to learn every person's genetic makeup, including their likelihood of developing various diseases or developing certain behaviors. That's not information many Americans want to share.
Fortunately, the Supreme Court recently ruled that the police can't poke around inside the homes of citizens with high-tech equipment without a search warrant. That was a close 5-4 decision by a conservative court that often puts police authority over personal freedoms.
The Acme Rent-A-Car agency in New Haven, Conn. has been using satellites to track its customers' driving habits. When they break the speed limit for two minutes or more, the rental agency fines speeders with extra charges.
Police use automated cameras to nail speeders. Some police use cameras to catch motorists who run red lights. It has been predicted that police speed cameras will proliferate across the nation. Motorists can look forward to being under constant surveillance wherever they travel.
Highway sky cams have even been used for marketing. Some out-of-state motorists recorded by highway surveillance cameras received travel brochures.
Cameras in malls, on streets at sporting events can be used to scan and match faces to catch criminals, or who knows what?
No one objects to police officers catching scofflaws who run red lights, speed or commit crimes. The objection is turning this law enforcement function over to surveillance machines.
How much privacy are Americans willing to give up to maintain an orderly society? In England, a company has designed a toilet that monitors human waste. In case of a health problem, the information is sent via the Internet directly to personal physicians and other proper authorities.
Think of the lives that could be saved and the epidemics stopped. Think of the privacy flushed down the drain.
I am loathe to sound like a conspiracy theorist or an alarmist, but I do harbor genuine concerns over these matters. Do you?
Many of you have thoughts about stem cell research, gene mapping and cloning. I imagine that many people share my beliefs that these are noble, benevolent humanitarian goals. But, of course, the potential exists for corruption and misuse.
Banks and other financial institutions had to inform all customers by July 1 of their privacy policies. And of course there is a big debate going on now regarding release of our medical information.
I just don't want my appliances - and especially my TOILET, telling tales out of school on me!!!
I mean, some things just demand discretion and prudence. Having a commode monitor me and rat me out just.....well, it REEKS!
As technology advances, personal data becomes public domain
By Rowland Nethaway/Cox News Service
07-14-01 WACO, Texas -- A friend hates computer cookies, those little electronic "tattle-tales" that track your movements when you get on the Internet. She remains in a constant state of war with cookie monsters. I have thrown in the towel.
An online purchase of a present for my daughter is quickly followed up with e-mail for breast enlargement potions and lingerie catalogs.
I take it in stride. It's just too much work to keep your privacy on the computer.
Besides, I know my offline purchases have been tracked for years. The nation's credit card companies probably know more about my spending habits and lifestyle than I know.
Since I've started charging my groceries on a credit card, there are computers somewhere that know what I eat and how much. They also know how much toilet paper I use, and how often I wash my clothes and change my air-conditioner filters.
My state for years has sold all the information on my driver's license, along with the personal data of every other licensed motorist. Many states do this.
The privacy of Americans is coming under attack from all sides. Much of it is spurred on by rapid advances in technology. Society, lawmakers and the courts can't keep up with the technological advances that threaten privacy.
Efforts are underway to protect the privacy of the medical histories of Americans. That seems reasonable. Not many Americans want their friends, neighbors, bosses or the world to know what goes on between them and their doctors.
Now that scientists have mapped the human genome, it will become possible to learn every person's genetic makeup, including their likelihood of developing various diseases or developing certain behaviors. That's not information many Americans want to share.
Fortunately, the Supreme Court recently ruled that the police can't poke around inside the homes of citizens with high-tech equipment without a search warrant. That was a close 5-4 decision by a conservative court that often puts police authority over personal freedoms.
The Acme Rent-A-Car agency in New Haven, Conn. has been using satellites to track its customers' driving habits. When they break the speed limit for two minutes or more, the rental agency fines speeders with extra charges.
Police use automated cameras to nail speeders. Some police use cameras to catch motorists who run red lights. It has been predicted that police speed cameras will proliferate across the nation. Motorists can look forward to being under constant surveillance wherever they travel.
Highway sky cams have even been used for marketing. Some out-of-state motorists recorded by highway surveillance cameras received travel brochures.
Cameras in malls, on streets at sporting events can be used to scan and match faces to catch criminals, or who knows what?
No one objects to police officers catching scofflaws who run red lights, speed or commit crimes. The objection is turning this law enforcement function over to surveillance machines.
How much privacy are Americans willing to give up to maintain an orderly society? In England, a company has designed a toilet that monitors human waste. In case of a health problem, the information is sent via the Internet directly to personal physicians and other proper authorities.
Think of the lives that could be saved and the epidemics stopped. Think of the privacy flushed down the drain.
