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Give Up the Fight For Personal Privacy?
KlaymenDK writes "Over the last decade or so, I have strived to maintain my privacy. I have uninstalled Windows, told my friends 'sorry' when they wanted me to join Facebook, had a fight with my brother when he wanted to move the family email hosting to Gmail, and generally held back on my personal information online. But since, amongst all of my friends, I am the only one doing this, it may well be that my battle is lost already. Worse, I'm really putting myself out of the loop, and it is starting to look like self-flagellation. Indeed, it is a common occurrence that my wife or friends will strike up a conversation based on something from their Facebook 'wall' (whatever that is). Becoming ever more unconnected with my friends, live or online, is ultimately harming my social relations. I am seriously considering throwing in the towel and signing up for Gmail, Facebook, the lot. If 'they' have my soul already, I might as well reap the benefits of this newfangled, privacy-less, AJAX-2.0 world. It doesn't really matter if it was me or my friends selling me out. Or does it? I'd love to hear your thoughts on the matter. How many Windows-eschewing users are not also eschewing the social networking services and all the other 2.0 supersites with their dubious end-user license agreements?"
At some point, you have to find the balance between protecting your personal information and actually being able to interact with other people.
Consider the chance that your life will be somehow ruined by some comment you post on Facebook. It's very low, I think. Now consider how bad you're making life for yourself by refusing to communicate in order to avoid this risk. Is it really worth it?
I, for one, think the benefit I gain from Web 2.0 sites is generally worth the risk.
Short Version: No one is going to pay attention to you unless to invite that attention.
Computers are stupid. The volume of data you're worried about is mind boggling huge. Your google search history is tucked in there with billions on billions of other web requests. If you don't keep cookies between sessions then your thousands of individual search histories are tucked in there with billions of other web requests. This is far too complex for a computer to solve. Someone would have to specifically focus on you to assemble anything useful.
This is the case with just about everything. The volume of data is so large that unless you're doing something to stand out the fact that they have some of your information is meaningless.
If you're doing something to stand out then people will focus on you. That's when things get dicey. Until then you just get lost in the crowd.
Here's what you should ask yourself. Why the fuck would anyone bother with you? I'm not being mean. Seriously who would give a fuck about your web history? Most privacy concerns are simply ego. You're really not as important as you think you are.
You also fail to mention a lot of things. Do you have cable? Do you have your own internet? Do you only use cash? Do you drive on toll roads? The fact that you focus online and not on some of the worse real world things makes worry about you.
If you don't pay for literally _everything_ in cash you're giving away infinitely more intimate information than you'll ever find on facebook.
Do you have a cable box? If so you're entire viewing history ever may be available.
Your entire web history goes through your ISPs servers. Trivial to log. Are you using an encrypted pipe to a proxy? Do you control that proxy? Physically?
if you drive on toll roads there may be a record of all your travels. If you use a transponder to auto pay tolls then there must be.
I find being offended by me offensive.
Not to detract from your main point, but MySpace is far from being the "latest fad" at this point. Instant messaging is even less so; I would consider it to be productivity software at this point.
Facebook is not so much a total waste of time as useful purely for social interaction (and wasting time). We can't all be reading Cicero in our spare time, I suppose.
Those who advocate genocide deserve every protection afforded by law, and none afforded by common human decency.
You need to understand respect for those that desire privacy. Just because you're an exhibitionist doesn't mean that we are. We can be private in our thoughts, deeds, and actions. Anonymity also insulates you against the whims of government, and organizations that don't have your best interests in mind.
The thesis of books like Brin's "Transparenty Society" is more of a matter that with increasing technological progress the erosion of privacy is inevitable. It reminds me a little bit of cultures that eschew photography, because they're afraid that cameras steal their soul or something. That's all fine and dandy, but since we seem to be going towards a society where almost everyone is going to be carrying tiny little cameraphones with them in their pockets and using them for a variety of purposes, it becomes increasingly difficult to keep your soul from getting stolen.
I understand your personal preference, but it's worth keeping in mind that Facebook are not immune from data protection rules either. If they are holding personal information about you without your consent, and worse, sharing it with others, then they may well be breaking the law in some jurisdictions.
I almost wish a few people who still value privacy would start filing formal complaints with the appropriate courts/regulatory authorities, so social networking sites get the message that they only get to collect data with people's informed consent. The sort of opt-out policy that Facebook et al. currently take is just an unscalable cop-out. Of course, this would be easier if we had decent privacy and data protection laws, which many countries still don't.
If you disagree, post your argument. (-1, Overrated) isn't your personal censorship tool for views you don't like.
And eventually, we'll start realizing that we are ALL assholes at one point or another, and we'll get on with our lives ;) No one can be holier-than-thou because you have proof that they aren't, so the playing field is equalized.
I'm completely talking out of my ass, but I don't think it's an entirely BAD thing that people will be forced to admit to their mistakes. We all make them... how we deal with them is how we should be defined (as in, did we learn from them?).
My blog. Good stuff (when I remember to update it). Read it.
> it's like saying writing your password on a post-it stuck to your monitor is a good security practice because security by obscurity doesn't work.
However writing _incorrect_ password on a post-it note stuck to your monitor works quite well :)
I do when I use the customer card...
Funny...of late, everyone seems to start acting surprised or at least lightly astounded when you say you use cash. Does no one carry or use it anymore?
I was once in CC debt hell...got out of it. Since then, I try to use cash for most everything...except for gas (Sam's club doesn't take cash and their gas prices are good). But I find it isn't that big a deal...hit the ATM, and take out about $300 or so which lasts most of the week for most things. I find that by doing this...I have more of a feel of how much I am actually spending. You don't get that abstraction like you do playing with chips in a casino. When it is real money you are spending...it means something to you, and is easier to monitor your spending habits.
Don't get me wrong...I still have credit cards..for buying some things online and emergencies...but, even when they are used, they get paid in full monthly.
Are there that many out there on Slashdot that don't carry and use cash...as their primary form of paying for things?
Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
I know you think you all got me cornered here, but I disagree.
I know that I put that info on there. What I have a problem with is:
a) not at all: me posting info, or sharing info through sites of my own free choice.
Come on, if I had a problem with this, why would I use the same nick all over the place? (Or, is this really a conspiracy of different users all using the same nick in order to thwart attempts to classify "a person"? Bwahahaa....sigh.)
b) some, but not so much: people posting info about me through sites of their choice.
c) very much: having to choose between degraded relations, or using sites I for various reasons would rather not choose.
It's not about Facebook, or Trifive, or Last FM. It's about my friends, and keeping my friendship with them separate from (corporate) third parties and their rules.
"Good news, everyone!"