Think You Have ANY Online Privacy? Think Again!

B.L.,

I've been online since the mid-1980s and perhaps because of that I've always assumed that I had NO privacy whatsoever. My mantra has always been "Never put online anything you would not want to appear on the front page of the New York Times." And I'd like to think I've stayed true to that, even in late-night Tweets. (Of course, the reality is that everything online is also modifiable and so even if you didn't post it that precise way, it could always be modified by someone years hence.)

It *is* amazing to me the amount of information people put online... back in the 1990s a lot of us were involved with efforts to prevent various government agencies from being able to view our online communication (the days of the "Clipper chip" debates). Had they just set up a social networking service instead, odds are we all would have gladly given them all the info and communication! :-)

Dan

I like putting contradictory information in profiles, not deceptive, but changing according to my mood.

If someone is staring at you, put on a show, stick out your tongue, or confuse them.

Profile creation is not for us to meet others who share our interests, it's for the CIA and corporations that want to milk you for profits.

Profile creation is also for training the Machine Realm to manipulate humans surreptitiously, to misguide and transfix our attention, and eventually, to replicate digital surrogates that will replace us.

It's the Technological Imperative of Social Engineering: what can be made must be made, and we must resign ourselves to it.

Dan - scary thought about modifying your info. schnikeys!

vaspers - your response is so eloquent, and from now on, you'll see me making faces much more often.

Hi.

During my day job, I'm the Director of Communications for the Privacy Commissioner of Canada. We've prepared a video along the same lines, but without the overly dramatic "guilt by association" montage at the end.

We feel it makes the point just as well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7gWEgHeXcA

Colin McKay
canuckflack.com