Wednesday, 22 February 2012
PRIVACY
Do we really care about it or is it just an illusion?
Perhaps you have very little privacy, having given it up long ago. Many do so unknowingly; if you have any sort of “plastic card” the card company already know what you do, where you go, how you spend your money and how big (or small) your debt it. If you use a mobile phone or even a computer someone, somewhere already has access to where you go, what you buy, what you type….and so it goes on and on.
No, privacy is DEAD.
But, as a guess, what you do care about is being surprised; you don’t want to be surprised by the card company sending you gift certificates for holidays because you’ve been buying summer clothing; you don’t want to be surprised that a site you have never visited seems to know an awful lot about your buying habits.
And, as computers get ever smarter at “triangulating” our interests and actions, be prepared to be surprised ever more often. I don’t know whether the never-ending series of little “snooping” surprises will eventually make us give up and admit defeat against them, or if one day, we will sit up and take note that we want the surprises to STOP. Maybe I am one of the very few who don’t get surprised – no cards, nothing so my privacy is still intact, but for the vast majority
privacy…..too late, my friend, too late.
Peripatetic Scribe
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
We can have privacy but at a heavy price. You, P.S. have learned how to avoid intrusions into your privacy, but many like me, for example, HAVE no privacy as we are totally under the control of "big business" and it's almost impossible to break out. But a good article!
ReplyDeleteI agree with your view Anonymous. Yes privacy costs but can be achieved although it takes time and a certain change in lifestyle which is not to everyone's taste. Maybe I'll write more on this.....
ReplyDeleteA brilliant blog! Books such as "Brave New World", "1984" and "Fahrenheit 451" come to my mind and in a way I agree with you. Nevertheless, Richard Bach in his great book "Illusions" stated :"Your only obligation in any lifetime is to be true to yourself. Being true to anyone else or anything else is not only impossible, but the mark of a false messiah." And I tend to comply with this most often. Perhaps we should not really pay so much attention to companies surprising us in this way. They are merely trying to increase their profits and there is nothing personal about it. I do not feel threatened by this, if I am offered something I like, I accept it and if not I just ignore it. Hope I have not actually become one of the characters in the books I mentioned at the beginning (merely believing I am free). Your blogs are so thought provoking!
ReplyDeleteLucana
Thanks, Lucana. I had forgotten Fahrenheit 451 but you are right. Also, your observation on Richard Bach are very much to the point. As to "thought-provoking", well I hope to open people's eyes to what's happening and what they can try to avoid - in order to keep their sanity!
ReplyDelete