FITUG e.V.
Förderverein Informationstechnik und Gesellschaft
FITUG e.V.Förderverein Informationstechnik und Gesellschaft |
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------- Forwarded message follows ------- From: Owen Blacker <owen.blacker@wheel.co.uk> To: "UK Crypto list (E-mail)" <ukcrypto@chiark.greenend.org.uk> Copies to: "Anoraks YahooGroup (E-mail)" <anoraks@yahoogroups.com>, "NTK Tips (E-mail)" <tips@spesh.com> Subject: Silicon.com Leader: Privazzzzzy? Pay attention, your wallet's at risk Date sent: Fri, 18 May 2001 10:29:40 +0100 Send reply to: ukcrypto@chiark.greenend.org.uk
> HEADLINE: Privazzzzzy? Pay attention, your wallet's at risk > PUBLISHED: 5:00pm on Thursday 17th May 2001 > CHANNEL: Ebusiness security > AUTHOR: editorial@silicon.com > ARTICLE: http://www.silicon.com/a44481 > > TEXT OF STORY FOLLOWS: > > Privacy is an issue that we keep banging on about here at > silicon.com. It wouldn't be surprising if a few of our > readers had begun to find their eyes glazing over a little. > > Perhaps your mouse starts to wander towards more exciting > subjects such as sex, virus, rock 'n' Linux. > > But the reason we drone on about privacy so often is that > it's important, and it's under threat. > > Today's story, about a far-flung European committee mulling a > draft proposal of support for another wordy piece of > legislation, would send even a hyperactive speed freak to sleep. > > It would be easy to shrug your shoulders and say: "What the > hell. So they want to hang on to my emails for seven years. > Let them. They're only trying to catch criminals here." > > But there are two reasons why we should say no. Firstly, our > fundamental liberties are at risk here. > > You may not spend your weekends plotting the violent > overthrow of the capitalist system, but that's no reason to > give the government permission to rummage around through all > your communications, any more than you'd want a Whitehall spy > camera in the downstairs loo. It's your ebusiness, you should > be able to do it in peace. > > Worse still, we'll be the ones who'll have to pay for it. And > it will be mind-blowingly expensive. > > In George Orwell's 1984, everyone has a TV screen, with an > "always-on" connection, in their flats to allow the > government to watch their every move. > Orwell never paid much attention to the people behind the TV > screen. How many people did they have to employ to watch the > entire citizenry? Who monitored them? Who paid their salaries? > > Things were bad enough for lead character Winston Smith, but > at least he never got a bill for the 24-hour surveillance of > his own living room. > > Ultimately, you might have to pay for your surveillance > through higher internet charges. It might come out of taxes. > The government might sell the information to credit reference > agencies to foot the bill -- it wouldn't be the first time > (check out the links we've provided). > > So you may not mind your privacy being violated, but no one > wants their wallet being squeezed. > > So join silicon.com in saying: "This madness must stop". > > And you at the back there! Stop yawning! > > For related news, see: > Privacy scandal: Dodgy data laws on the way > http://www.silicon.com/a44456 > Found: Millions of missing buildings > http://www.silicon.com/a44118 > Privacy campaigners outraged by electoral register scandal > http://www.silicon.com/a43859 > For sale: Your private medical records > http://www.silicon.com/a43230 > > > STORY ENDS > > For more information on silicon.com go to http://www.silicon.com. > > silicon.com - the who, what, when, where and why of ebusiness
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