97a45c18   
   From: vagans@inanna.eanna.net   
      
   gishzida  wrote:   
   > On Feb 14, 11:28 pm, Sourcerer  wrote:   
   > {snip}   
   >>   
   >> The problem is worse than systemic, it is inbuilt because the operating   
   >> systems, the protocols, the platforms, the servers were designed with   
   >> hardly any attention to privacy and security issues. Basically, people   
   >> will have to route around the impediments such as Google, because   
   >> neither the technikis, nor the admins, nor the politicians, nor the   
   >> corporate boardrooms have the slightest interest in preserving anyone's   
   >> privacy or enhancing their security.   
   >>   
   >> The product of our society is turning people into "information".   
      
   > The assumption of privacy or the illusional right to possess privacy   
   > is a modern day fable.   
      
   That is true, however it is codified in law, not only in the US.   
      
   The "right to possess privacy" has issues. What I think is useful is   
   understanding how privacy is compromised so that one can have at least   
   an understanding of how things work and how one's life is impacted by   
   it. It is possible to 'route around' things that compromise one's   
   privacy, if one wants to, but to do so is increasingly limiting rather   
   than freeing.   
      
   The local supermarket chain has the usual discount card and the use of   
   it also lowers the price of gasoline at their pumps. There's money   
   savings there for me. Of course, using the card informs them of my   
   purchases, not simply data added into inventory db, but specifically me.   
   So, they can target me in offers and specials tailored to my   
   consumer-history. I am sure many products on their shelves are auto-id   
   tagged, and it reports itself as purchased (therefore, off the shelf and   
   inventory), who purchased it, and probably when it is discarded into the   
   trash (thus when I'll need another).  One can take each common bit of   
   daily life, online and not, and parse out the pings.   
      
   Otoh, during the snowstorm that dumped 2 feet of it on us, the   
   supermarket's pharmacy called every senior citizen card-user to ask   
   after their health, whether they could get to the pharmacy if they   
   needed meds or whether they should deliver etc etc.   
      
   My medical insurance called me, to find out if I was ok, had heat, etc   
   etc.   
      
   However, just happening to oops make revealing your private life an 'opt   
   out' is plain and gross shittiness.  Oh, we'll make changes, sorry. All   
   new stuff and mistakes will be made. We'll refine according to our users   
   needs, because it is for them, to enable them. yadda yadda yadda.   
      
      
      
      
      
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     (__)    Sourcerer   
    /(<>)\ O|O|O|O||O||O   
     \../  |OO|||O|||O||   Mirroring the shadows of futurity   
      ||   OO|||OO||O||O   since 1993   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)