The end of privacy
by Virginia DeBolt

ABC's 20/20 did a two hour show titled Caught last night. It was mainly about citizen generated Internet video. Sites like YouTube are capable of changing lives by showing videos such as Virginia Senator George Allen's macaca remark within minutes of him making it. 20/20 billed the program as being about the end of privacy.

The program touched lightly on bloggers. The bloggers they picked to talk about were examples of the blurred boundaries of privacy.

There are serious privacy issues such as identity theft that the program didn't mention. However, I don't think the 20/20 show was really about the end of privacy. I think it was about the end of hypocrisy, of hiding behind a screen of spin, of loss of media control over the people's voice. We the people are holding the politicians, the comedians, and the police accountable with our videos and our blogs. I'm not sure hiding the fact that you are vicious, a jerk, or don't have the sense to wear underwear in public is really a privacy issue. What do you think?

Submitted by Virginia DeBolt (view blog) on Sat, 12/30/2006 - 09:24

Comments

 

I agree. I was disappointed

I agree. I was disappointed with the segment on blogging, especially since it focused on a woman who willingly hung her life out for everyone to see.

Karen
"Life is too short to pout all the time."
A Deaf Mom Shares Her World

Submitted by Deaf Mom on Sun, 12/31/2006 - 07:14
 

Karen "Life is too short to

Karen
"Life is too short to pout all the time."
A Deaf Mom Shares Her World

Submitted by Deaf Mom on Sun, 12/31/2006 - 07:14
 

The real loss of privacy

I didn't see the show, so I couldn't comment on that, but I feel that the real loss of privacy is not in the realm of self-revelation in blogs, but rather in the little ways we are compelled to reveal private information every day.

Our searches are archived. Microsoft has just announced it will link personally identifying information with that search data, meaning that there is a database recording those things you searched, looking for info on that STD or political movement or business or boyfriend or whatever. It's all there, archived in perpetuity. Many websites track your browsing as well, meaning there could be scores of unregulated archives in private hands tracking every website you look at.

[Note the long string of unique code in the URL I linked above, which is an example of Yahoo tracking my searches.]

We give away information in software license agreements, cell phone agreements (where they track everything).... Did you know your cable tv box might be keeping track of who's in the room (using bio sensors)? Did you know that your cell phone could be bugging your office even with it turned off?

This all may sound rather like I've donned a tinfoil hat, but when you consider how government agencies are aggregating all of this information, I feel we're getting to the point where the whole idea of personal privacy needs to be redefined.

On the other hand, the trade-off is convenience, which is why greater centralization of information and applications and communications is a trend that is selling quite well.

Laura Scott
design, snap, blog

Submitted by Laura Scott on Mon, 01/01/2007 - 09:53
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