Expectation of Privacy

What does privacy mean to you?

Here's an article that discusses this subject: It's Time to Drop the 'Expectation of Privacy' Test by Bruce Schneier.

I think the subject of privacy is a foremost example of where computers can work for us or against us. Computers, by any word, are at the forefront of the invasion of our privacy. What if it were turned around - what if computers were our first line of defense?

How's that? Imagine that we each have a virtual profile (which of course we already have, for those with privileged access), and imagine that we can decide, each of us, how private we want to be. We could, for example, update our profile to indicate that we don't want any marketing company collecting any data at all about us. Conversely we might love getting all those marketing materials in the mail and our email boxes. Fine, then update your profile to let them bring it on.

We're just beginning to broach this subject, to get our minds around the scope of it, to consider it's nature, which we have to do first before we can consider what to do about it.

For a long time I've argued we need a Constitutional amendment specifically on the subject of privacy. As we see in this article, the 4th amendment is being rallied around as if it addresses this issue, our needs, and somewhere in there lies the answer. I don't think so.


Bill