Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Privacy Concerns Moving Into The Mainstream

Posted by Hemos on from the getting-the-attention-it-deserves dept.

Realistic_Dragon writes "The BBC today ran a thoughtful radio article (website, transcript, real audio) on the issues of privacy vs practicality in our modern society. An ideal primer for those that haven't given these things much thought before, with a balanced treatment of the subject and very few technical errors to drive one up the wall. Listening to the narrator's acerbic comments in reply to those that advocate the innocent have nothing to fear mantra is worth the download alone. Is this the kind of image that is presented in the media in the rest of the world, or are they still running with the 'big brother is your friend' party line?"

5 of 235 comments (clear)

  1. Re:BBC by tehcyder · · Score: 5, Informative
    The BBC is an independent corporation, albeit largely funded by the public. It is most definitely *not* government controlled, most recent governments have had a lot of trouble with the BBC.

    Although from the outside it might seem confusing, the BBC is actually far more independent and objective than most commercial broadcasters.

    I know this will not go down well with a lot of Americans, who probably conflate the BBC and the old Soviet Russia-era news services in their minds.

    --
    To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
  2. Re:BBC by Alioth · · Score: 4, Informative

    You ought to listen to the "Today" programme. I'm assuming since you mention NPR you are from the US. I doubt any US politician would have the guts to go on the 'Today' programme if it were commonly broadcast in the US. Top politicians of many countries have come in for an intense grilling off John Humprys and James Noughoty. The same goes for the afternoon current affairs programme, 'PM' (5pm-6pm weekdays).

    It can be quite entertaining, especially when the politicians try to dodge the questions in the normal way (usually by answering the question they'd rather have been asked) and the interviewer tells them bluntly that they didn't actually answer the question, then ask it again!

    --
    Oolite: Elite-like game. For Mac, Linux and Windows
  3. BBC by bobintetley · · Score: 5, Informative

    Is this the kind of image that is presented in the media in the rest of the world, or are they still running with the 'big brother is your friend' party line?"

    Quote from Douglas Adams in Wired.
    ...Television companies are not in the business of delivering television programmes to their audiences, they're in the business of delivering audiences to their advertisers. (This is why the BBC has such a schizophrenic time - it's actually in a different business from all its competitors)...
  4. Brin just published a related piece by gilroy · · Score: 4, Informative

    on Salon: Three Cheers for the Surveillance Society!. I can't say I agree with everything he says but I think there's a lot of merit in it.

    Bottom line executive summary: Privacy is dead; get over it. Instead of trying to hide everything we do, we should insist that every citizen has the same access to surveillance technologies that the government does. He offers the Rodney King tapes and the Abu Gharib prison photos as ways in which saturation surveillance has advanced the cause of justice and the empowerment of the citizenry.

    Worth a read, in any event.

    --
    The Mongrel Dogs Who Teach
  5. Public Pizza by wayward · · Score: 4, Informative

    ACLU came up with an good privacy presentation. Imagine trying to order pizza at a place where they already know everything about you.... http://www.aclu.org/pizza/index.html?orgid=EA07190 4&MX=1414&H=0