Big Brother Redux

Big Brother has been flexing his muscles lately. Some of us are starting to sit up and take notice.

OldNFO started the ball rolling with this post.

We 'are' being watched, and you can bet at least 'some' of us are on a variety of lists, thanks to DHS among others...

That triggered something I'd been thinking about regarding police using automatic data recorders to record and track the license plate, location, and time of every vehicle around them.

After reading that post, kerrcarto sent me a link to a video detailing how the FBI routinely engages in widespread and pervasive surveillance of nearly all US citizens (including members of congress). Jimbo at the Parkway Rest Stop posted the same video, along with links to the interview transcript and additional information.

Think about that for a moment. Recall what happened to David Petraeus, former Army general and, most recently, head of the CIA until he boinked some bimbo who was writing a book about him. He was brought down in part because his emails were recorded, decoded, and distributed. If the head of the CIA can't protect his emails, what chance do we poor ordinary citizens have?

Now we have this story.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration would like to make it mandatory for automakers to install a so-called "black box" in all new cars and light trucks.

The devices, also known as event data recorders, have long been used by investigators to discover the root cause of commercial airplane crashes. In recent years however, automakers have quietly begun installing similar products in more and more cars.

The data recorders track a number of items, including vehicle speed, whether a driver tried to step on the brakes before a crash, information about engine throttle, air bag readiness before a crash, and whether seat belts were buckled.

Combine that technology with an easily-installed GPS chip, and the government will then have the capability of tracking your movements coupled with your driving habits.

What's next? In-cabin videocams? Is the government going to track what kind of music I listen to while I'm driving? Or worse yet, what I yell at the radio when obama comes on the news and makes another idiotic statement? (Note to the Secret Service - I don't really mean what I say in the heat of the moment...).

I teach courses in information systems - not the technology itself, but the individual, organizational, and societal aspects of information systems and technology. One of the concepts we talk about in class is privacy, defined as the right to left alone when you want to be, to have control over your own personal data, and to not be observed or monitored without your consent.

Sadly, from where I sit our right to privacy is being eroded in a similar manner to many of our other rights and liberties. The old saying about 'those who would sacrifice a little freedom in exchange for security gain neither' can be readily reworded to state that 'those who would sacrifice a little privacy in exchange for convenience likewise gain neither'.

Think about that the next time you install an app that records your location in exchange for a promise of coupons or discounts from nearby establishments, or the next time you check the "I agree" box when installing new software, without actually reading the terms of agreement.

Is it really worth it?

If this topic concerns you, check out the Electronic Frontier Foundation. It is IMO the foremost organization devoted to defending our rights in a digital world.