I once used my office computer to look up some things on the internet. The next day On my home computer, a list of people I might know to become "friends with" on facebook, included people I had sued for clients over the years. Mining my computer files for people's ID's was way beyond cool. I now have a new office computer and never use it to go on the internet.
Exactly... I'm in my 60's, very much a techie, and give me the days of the early wild wild west Internet, nothing censored, Usenet free with your email client, and none of this security crap-just simple passwords without having my most hated thing: two step authentication. Pain in the balls.
Now to be honest I'm getting sick of it except this and various other forums. Takes longer to sign into sites now than it does to do your task. Except for the forums and the usual haunts looking for old radios, vintage tools, and paying bills, I don't use it like I did even a couple years ago.
I'm not certain this happened - I think it did. Do you suppose that German and Polish Jews in the 19th - early 20th century thought twice when registering a newborn, declaring the religion/ethnicity? Think those records were useful to the ethnic cleansing squads that followed the German army? This to me is a reason to limit collection of personal data. At least make 'em work for it. Collected data may not be used for anything as bad as who to kill but it could be used for things like who to employ, we want people that think like us after all. Or who gets what kind of medical treatment.
Last edited by Curt Harms; 09-28-2021 at 9:59 AM.
The "what have you got to hide?" question falls on deaf ears for those of us who firmly believe in our right to privacy.*
As this question is posed, it can be interpreted as an accusation - an attempt to hang a badge of presumed guilt on the one being questioned.
But, in the interest of being completely thorough, I will answer that question: "absolutely nothing to hide here, I just value my dignity"
*Read the 4th amendment to the constitution to find out where we get this idea.
If this bothers you then what the Democrats (not trying to be political) are trying to do with making banks report to the IRS any transaction over $600 should scare you. Most people make more than that a week. Once one agency has the information it's much easier for another to get it vs going to court to force a bank to turn it over. Information is power. Those who know how to use it will sooner or later abuse it.
Not sure I see the link between second World war era atrocities and current day data collection. So far I haven't heard any example of someone being harmed by the data collection, just hypothetical suggestions of what might happen. I'm not suggesting it can't happen, just wondering if anyone has an example of it actually happening.
Currently if you have earnings it is reported to the IRS for withholding purposes. In my years of employment one thing learned is bureaucracies love paperwork. The more paperwork the more people to handle it, guaranteed employment for life.If this bothers you then what the Democrats (not trying to be political) are trying to do with making banks report to the IRS any transaction over $600 should scare you. Most people make more than that a week.
Does data end where stupidity begins?
You haven't heard of people loosing their jobs over social media accounts?
There have been problems with facial recognition systems causing problems for people with no connection to the incident for which they were arrested and held.
Incorrect data in one's credit report has cost some folks problems with potential employers.
jtk
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
- Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)
I'm always a bit bemused by people who expect Google to give them information for free (or at least track it down for them), and then complain when Google does something with the incidental information it gathers in the process.
The key phrase in all of this is "expectation of privacy", and for 99.9999% of the Internet, no such thing exists.
Yoga class makes me feel like a total stud, mostly because I'm about as flexible as a 2x4.
"Design"? Possibly. "Intelligent"? Sure doesn't look like it from this angle.
We used to be hunter gatherers. Now we're shopper borrowers.
The three most important words in the English language: "Front Towards Enemy".
The world makes a lot more sense when you remember that Butthead was the smart one.
You can never be too rich, too thin, or have too much ammo.
Does a VPN counter this?
One of the side effects of data collection is everything becomes data. A comment made in response to an article published online can end up in your data files.
Something foolish posted online has not only led to the arrest of many people, data miners have probably included it in their individual data files.
Those ones and zeros can paint you as one thing or another which may or may not fit into the mold of a potential employer or private club.
The crude data mining of today often gives me a clue as to what my wife has been shopping for online via the ads displayed when reading news articles and such.
We are living in a strange new world…
jtk
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
- Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)