Monday, July 19, 2004
Privacy
Over the past few years, as our technological savvy as a society has increased, I keep hearing more and more about protection of privacy. In many cases, this is a valid concern. I'm not naive enough to ignore the multitude of ways that hustlers, thieves, and bored MIT students can exploit security loopholes to wreak havoc. I know that if someone gets your social security number, they can essentially steal your identity, take over your house, sell your children into slavery, etc. And you certainly don't have to lecture me about the ramifications of someone getting your credit card number: Let's just say that I'm still paying off those mail-order brides that some guy (definitely not me - I buy them locally, down at the docks) ordered over the internet when he found my card.
Sadly, most people, when talking about privacy, aren't talking about these issues. They're basically talking about not wanting their medical records being read by file clerks, which to me, isn't really that disturbing of a prospect. Frankly, it bothers me that all of those customer service folks at my credit card company know my mother's maiden name. It's embarrassing, okay?! But, seriously, what's the big deal? Why are people so concerned with what people they don't know, and will never meet, know about their history? There are many reasons to hate the Patriot Act, but the ability of the FBI to figure out what library books I check out is not one of them. I just can't get worked up about the possibility of a group of government operatives with too much free time sitting around a table in some dark warehouse, laughing about the fact that I had a hernia operation when I was 4. (That's true! Really!)
Now, I can understand why the terrorist lobby might have a problem with this - clearly, it's going to affect their ability to terrorize effectively. That's a legitimate concern. But, for the few of us that aren't terrorists, who cares? I know you could conceive of some situation where you're running for public office, and all of a sudden it gets out that back in 1998, you checked out a couple of romance novels cuz you were "curious about them", and your political career is over. And, I suppose you ought to be able to live your life without fear of some little misstep possibly being exposed through some ridiculously unlikely chain of events, where your ex-girlfriend's snooping half-sister works as a librarian, and meticulously combs through the now publicly available records, finds your dirty little romance novel secret, and spreads it like wildfire. But to me, these concerns really border on paranoia. Find something more realistic to freak out about, like how your cell phones are slowly giving you brain cancer.
Sadly, most people, when talking about privacy, aren't talking about these issues. They're basically talking about not wanting their medical records being read by file clerks, which to me, isn't really that disturbing of a prospect. Frankly, it bothers me that all of those customer service folks at my credit card company know my mother's maiden name. It's embarrassing, okay?! But, seriously, what's the big deal? Why are people so concerned with what people they don't know, and will never meet, know about their history? There are many reasons to hate the Patriot Act, but the ability of the FBI to figure out what library books I check out is not one of them. I just can't get worked up about the possibility of a group of government operatives with too much free time sitting around a table in some dark warehouse, laughing about the fact that I had a hernia operation when I was 4. (That's true! Really!)
Now, I can understand why the terrorist lobby might have a problem with this - clearly, it's going to affect their ability to terrorize effectively. That's a legitimate concern. But, for the few of us that aren't terrorists, who cares? I know you could conceive of some situation where you're running for public office, and all of a sudden it gets out that back in 1998, you checked out a couple of romance novels cuz you were "curious about them", and your political career is over. And, I suppose you ought to be able to live your life without fear of some little misstep possibly being exposed through some ridiculously unlikely chain of events, where your ex-girlfriend's snooping half-sister works as a librarian, and meticulously combs through the now publicly available records, finds your dirty little romance novel secret, and spreads it like wildfire. But to me, these concerns really border on paranoia. Find something more realistic to freak out about, like how your cell phones are slowly giving you brain cancer.
Comments:
Post a Comment
