Privacy, Not

Privacy has been an ongoing theme of discussion in several class sessions. Students have expressed concern about agreeing to the onerous terms-of-service form the likes of Google. Google, Tivo, AOL, Amazon, Facebook, and just about any Internet service you register for, collects mountains of data on its users. Clickstream data is collected on just about any site you visit, with cookies used for identification. What the corporate overseers do with this data has often been called into question. Allegedly registered user data is applied “anonymously” for targeting ads, metrics and “personalization” features, however monumental breaches in security have been well publicized.

In spite of egregious errors and some corporate misconduct, usually due to incompetence rather than malfesciance, I feel that allowing Google and the like to spy on me is the least of my computer privacy worries. Malware, SpyWare, phishing, and other forms of criminal computer identity theft are much more worrisome.

But computer identity theft can be mitigated by firewalls, antivirus/anti-malware software, email filters, and just plain being careful.

Of much greater worry is data collected by financial and credit organizations on every credit card and financial transaction of every kind. Data is collected and stored every time you use your social security number, drivers license, mobile phone, home address bank account, every time you check in or out of a hotel, get a prescription filled, change addresses or get a car. The real trouble is with data aggregators that can “match” data from an assortment of databases and assemble a dossier on millions of us. What is even worse is the existence of organizations that sell personal data online and continue using methods like “pretexting”, impersonating a legitimate authority, to obtain personal information. It’s bad enough that the laughably named US Patriot Act removes any illusion of protection from big brother, we also have to watch our backs form the likes of Intelius, bestpeoplesearch, searchpublicinfo and docusearch. I haven’t even begun to scare myself about what the major credit beaureas like Experian and TRW are doing with my data. I know from experience the lingering nightmare of ID theft, having seen a friend loose her passport to a burglar. It just as easily could have been myself as the Apartment we shared was ransacked.

If you really want to worry, look no further than the mile wide breaches in computer security that have led to the loss of millions of SS#s and credit card numbers, many of which are inside jobs resulting for the theft of data or simply stupidity.

Digital conveniences such as WiFi and multi-gigabyte SD Flash drives are also a feast for thieves and a constant threat. A few gigs is plenty of room for millions of credit card numbers and credit histories, let alone a terabyte drive that fits in a small pocket or purse.

The future looks bright for security and ID theft countermeasures. Keep fraud alerts on everything, check your credit reports, lock up your files. Resist allowing RFID tags on Passports and being surgically implanted upon birth. I support National, Photo, biometric ID cards. At least identity theft will be more difficult, the bad guys will have a harder time with aliases and slipping past borders, and when your being spied on they will know its really you using your debit card at Starbucks and holding up the line. Sphere: Related Content