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Microsoft Tries To Charm EU With Future Visions
RedStar writes "BBC Online has a piece on Microsoft's visions of the future as shown to Euro MPs in a charm operation." From the article: "This is more a new concept than a new technology, and the real version may still be a year or two away. It would track the mobile phone signals of loved ones, then cross-reference which mobile cell they were in with pre-programmed locations, like the home, school, or workplace. Ms Sellen added: 'This is not very specific at all about where people are, and that's deliberate. We don't want to invade people's privacy too much, so we deliberately keep things very coarse grained.'"
with the data retention laws and you have a totalitarian's wet dream.
perpetually dwelling in the -1 pits
It would track the mobile phone signals of loved ones, then cross-reference which mobile cell they were in with pre-programmed locations, like the home, school, or workplace.
We don't want to be Big Brother. We want to make the tools so you can be Big Brother!
Those who believe the Internet is private,
find their privates are on the Internet.
Ordinary people will be fed the fuzzy location, based on real data: To a few meters of precision.
I'm so glad big brother is watching me! It's douple-plus good that I'm being watched!
You can't take the sky from me...
"don't want to invade people's privacy TOO MUCH"
Emphasis mine, of course. But that's just so telling, isn't it?
Ok, I understand, it's not ready yet. You don't have to keep telling me every two paragraphs how stuff that's in R&D won't be available to buy this Christmas. Jeez.
the layman's guide to computer science
We don't want to invade people's privacy too much
:\
Yes. We want to invade their privacy just the right amount.
But on a more serious note, people here might be surprised that UK people (at least those in London, if I recall correctly), aren't as worried about privacy/spying issues as you might think. London has had hundreds of cameras in its metro area to prevent crime. I think it would be a little worrying if it recorded political protests or other citizen-sensitive events. But overall I imagine there's a reduction in person-to-person crime there.
It is also important to remember that although data retention laws require information to be available for security reasons, the Data Protection Act prohibits making that information available to anyone else. In fact, most of Europe has incredibly strict privacy laws - along with laws prohibiting the trade of such information to organizations and companies that are outside the jurisdiction of those privacy laws.
A good solid campaign by European technophiles, to remind Euro MPs (and regular MPs) about the British and European privacy laws with regards to personal data, especially when coupled with reminders of Microsoft's extremely dodgy past on security issues, would be likely to derail Microsoft's efforts entirely, as their proposals are technically illegal and politicians in Europe - at least for now - are eager to NOT be seen aiding and abetting lawbreakers. In fact, a solid-enough campaign that also brought in Microsoft's status in Europe as a monopolist guilty of breaking trade laws might potentially finish off Microsoft in Europe entirely.
Before anyone marks me as rabidly anti-Microsoft (I'm not rabid, I just don't like them), this post is not a condemnation of the corporation. It is merely pointing out that their proposal violates EU privacy directives and assorted national laws. This is more likely ignorance than malice, as America has no concept of privacy, but that simply isn't relevent. It would be relatively easy for someone to spin this in a way that would leave politicians with very cold feet. Politicians aren't generally brave - that's not how to get re-elected. Politicians are professional cowards. No sane coward is going to want to be seen breaking the law - or even potentially breaking it - right now. If that were to be how opponents presented it, most politicos would back off very very quickly.
It's a small world and it smells funny; I'd buy another if it wasn't for the money; Take back what I paid (SoM)
Me, I lose the damn thing all the time anyway. "Where's Mama today? Oh look, she's been dropped behind the couch again."
It is a woman's prerogative to change other people's minds.
What we will need, for our protection from 1984, or probably more like 2020, is end user liscence contracts, rather than agreements. The end user should start imposing contracts (union style) on service providers that set out the terms of what the company can and cannot do with information on the customer. This should specifically include limitation on data retention, and use of information for marketing.
This would not seem dissimilar to medical information or even seemingly more confidential, client lawyer relationships.
sadly, most parents have already failed. for some parents, the analogy of the police-state is just fine for them in terms of how they run their household. it's easy to say "get involved," but the fact is that getting involved is a damn sight harder than it sounds for a disturbingly large portion of parents.
in the face of an inability to actually communicate, what's left is oversight (which is true regardless of whether we're talking about the relationship of Big Brother to the People or of Mom and Dad to The Kids).
look at some mobile phone ads even now: the 'parental' motive for giving your kid a phone is that it allows you to keep in contact, or keep in touch. using the phone as a tracking device like this is just a logical extension of that impulse, and i can guarantee that there will be a ready and willing market for it.
/. is what happens when geeks talk. get used to it.
How about you don't invade it at all ? I would really like to be able to carry my mobile phone with me without announcing to everyone who cares to ask where I go, especially since our Glorious Leaders made that little data retention law...
Forget magic. Any technology distinguishable from divine power is insufficiently advanced.
Yeah, it's not like I have a mobile phone so that people can call me. Obviously I only use my mobile to call others. ;-)
Never express yourself more clearly than you are able to think. --Niels Bohr
if you can not dazzle them with brilliance, baffle them with bullsh!t...
Politics is Treachery, Religion is Brainwashing