Trading Privacy for Access

We all love our internet access and the lovely user interface known as the world wide web and every day more and more people do more and more tasks “online”.   $40 per month is such a bargain for this sort of access to information but everyone should take a moment, from time to time, to think about the real price of this convenience.

Here is an example of something to consider.

Is it right that if you’re going for a job today, let’s say, working for MTA doing something like being a rail conductor, that MTA can have access to your drivers record and deny you a job because you received too many speeding tickets in 2007?

Our focus has been on what the government is doing regarding our privacy rights but that is only the tip of the iceberg.

While at IBM my last project was working on a web metrics conversion effort.  I assume you know that companies know all sorts of things about you, like:  when you visit their site what url you came from, what URL you left their site to go to, how long you stayed, everything you looked at and if you’ve been there before and filled in any sort of form they know you are returning and who you are. This all is for them improve the information they present to you so you’ll stay longer and hopefully buy more.  But seems that is ok according to this blogger:

“I believe that information that is your medical history , your financial status, your sexual orientation, your marital status, your status as a veteran and your religion should remain private unless you explicitly release it. Basic consumer desires are fair game in my opinion.”

It would be nice to think that medical and financial status is private but I don’t think that’s the case and google probably doesn’t think so either.  Remember this case last year:

“The headline practically says it all. Google (NSDQ: GOOG) is being sued by a Pittsburgh couple for posting images of its house on the Internet in Google’s Street Views pages. Google responded, in court no less, that complete privacy simply doesn’t exist in today’s world and the couple should stop crying about it.”

Let’s repeat that:  COMPLETE PRIVACY SIMPLY DOESN’T EXIST IN TODAY’S WORLD

What would make anyone think that their financial status is private?  You go to buy something and the seller can check your credit history / rating.  We all know that.  And your insurance company can easily find out about your medical history so what is private there?  You have the fox right in the henhouse on that one!

Is it worth it?  Does it matter?  Well it may not matter to you until you want that conductor job and get told you can’t have it because you were busted driving too fast 2 years ago.  Then it may sting.

“The real danger is the gradual erosion of individual liberties through automation, integration, and interconnection of many small, separate record-keeping systems, each of which alone may seem innocuous, even benevolent, and wholly justifiable.”  1977, U.S Privacy Study Commission