Copyright laws threaten our online freedom

Copyright was meant to encourage culture, not restrict it. This is reason enough for reform. But the current regime has even more damaging effects. In order to uphold copyright laws, governments are beginning to restrict our right to communicate with each other in private, without being monitored.

File-sharing occurs whenever one individual sends a file to another. The only way to even try to limit this process is to monitor all communication between ordinary people. Despite the crackdown on Napster, Kazaa and other peer-to-peer services over the past decade, the volume of file-sharing has grown exponentially. Even if the authorities closed down all other possibilities, people could still send copyrighted files as attachments to e-mails or through private networks. If people start doing that, should we give the government the right to monitor all mail and all encrypted networks? Whenever there are ways of communicating in private, they will be used to share copyrighted material. If you want to stop people doing this, you must remove the right to communicate in private. There is no other option. Society has to make a choice.

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With tech, nowhere to run, nowhere to hide

While Orwell was correct in foreseeing evaporating individual privacy, the enemy of privacy is not necessarily government. Indeed, we may only have ourselves to blame for the destruction of privacy that we hold so dear.

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Thus, whenever something catches someone's attention, even if that something is someone else's intimate moment, it can be captured on the spot by way of video or photos. From there, it is practically no effort to post the video or photos on the Internet for worldwide viewing.

While we enjoy the many features provided on our handheld devices, is this the direction we want to be heading in terms of the annihilation of privacy? I think not.

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To buy the argument that all private conduct must take place behind closed doors is to force everyone underground in their private dealings with others. Should we live in a world where the expectation is that we can and will be filmed for worldwide viewing at any possible moment? No!

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DHS to begin full fingerprint scans for visitors

The Homeland Security Department intends to begin scanning all 10 fingerprints for foreign visitors starting Nov. 29 at Dulles International Airport in Virginia, department officials said Tuesday.

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The 10-finger U.S. Visit scans are being rolled out at U.S. airports and at all land and sea border crossings, with a goal of being fully operational by the end of 2008, according to press reports of the briefing.

Why would anyone choose to visit the United States?

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UK's families put on fraud alert

Two computer discs holding the personal details of all families in the UK with a child under 16 have gone missing.

The Child Benefit data on them includes name, address, date of birth, National Insurance number and, where relevant, bank details of 25 million people.

"Gone missing"?

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Intel Official: Say Goodbye to Privacy

A top intelligence official says it is time people in the United States changed their definition of privacy.

Privacy no longer can mean anonymity, says Donald Kerr, the principal deputy director of national intelligence. Instead, it should mean that government and businesses properly safeguards people's private communications and financial information.

Disturbing.

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No email privacy rights under Constitution, US gov claims

What is important in this case is not the ultimate resolution of that narrow issue, but the position that the United States government is taking on the entire issue of electronic privacy. That position, if accepted, may mean that the government can read anybody's email at any time without a warrant.

Read more, but don't email it.

Peace of mind when they ask to borrow the car

Proponents say the devices help teenagers become more aware and therefore become more responsible drivers. But most teenagers understandably are not thrilled at more parental control.

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While no statistics show that monitoring prevents youthful driver injury and death, some parents are convinced that knowing what their teenagers are up to is far better than not knowing.

Insurance companies are beginning to agree, with some offering discounts for families with tracking technology in their cars. Starting October 4, Safeco began offering up to a 15 percent discount on policies for customers in 39 states who opt for "Teensurance," which includes roadside assistance and the installation of a free GPS device.

The device allows the parent to set a vehicle's maximum speed, how far it can travel and a curfew--at which time the car can no longer be driven. If the curfew is violated, for example, parents receive a cell phone or e-mail notification--for a monthly service fee.

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"If you realize you are being monitored, it keeps you constantly aware," she said.

Getting the next generation accustomed to constant surveillance.

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Does what happens in the Facebook stay in the Facebook?

It sure doesn't look like it.

Check out the video.

At Rapleaf, your personals are public

In the cozy Facebook social network, it's easy to have a sense of privacy among friends and business acquaintances.

But sites like Rapleaf will quickly jar you awake: Everything you say or do on a social network could be fair game to sell to marketers.

Anything for a buck.

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Safety fears over new register of all children

Senior social workers have given warning of the dangers posed by a new government register that will store the details of every child in England from next year.

They fear that the database, containing the address, medical and school details of all under-18s, could be used to harm the children whom it is intended to protect.

Just another reason to either leave the UK or to never move there in the first place.

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Is The Bush Administration Still Spying?

Is the Bush administration secretly siphoning millions of calls and e-mail communications from AT&T's network?

Be spied on here.

IS GOOGLE SPYING ON YOU? -- Yes !!!

When you make a search on Google, your ip address, the time, and what you searched for is stored in their database forever and this information can be used in a court of law against you.

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‘Surveillance society’ warning on data sharing

Confidential personal data – gleaned from sources as diverse as driving licences, medical records and store loyalty cards – is now often shared without people’s knowledge, the information commission will warn on Tuesday, in its latest salvo against what it calls the “surveillance society”.

Police may be given power to take DNA samples in the street

From the constantly growing file of reasons not to move to Britain, we have this:

The Home Office is considering giving the police the power to take a DNA sample on the street, without taking the suspect to a police station, as well as taking samples from suspects in relatively minor offences such as littering, speeding or not wearing a seat belt.

WTF?

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Microchip implants raise privacy concern

Chipping, these critics said, might start with Alzheimer's patients or Army Rangers, but would eventually be suggested for convicts, then parolees, then sex offenders, then illegal aliens — until one day, a majority of Americans, falling into one category or another, would find themselves electronically tagged.

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Ask to allow anonymous Web search

Search site Ask is launching a new tool that will let people search the Web anonymously, the first major search engine to offer that functionality.

By using the new AskEraser tool, users will be able to set their privacy preferences so the search engine doesn't retain their Web search history. Users will be able to see what the privacy setting is on the search results pages.

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Judges OK warrantless monitoring of Web use

Another wonderful day...

Apparently: Privacy rules don't apply to Internet messages, court says

Isn't that great?

Federal agents do not need a search warrant to monitor a suspect's computer use and determine the e-mail addresses and Web pages the suspect is contacting, a federal appeals court ruled Friday.

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The ruling "further erodes our privacy," the attorney said. "The great political marketplace of ideas is the Internet, and the government has unbridled access to it."

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One out of Two Hospitals Chooses Hugs or Halo to Protect Their Infants

Welcome to Xmark, the new corporate identity for our healthcare security products. Our new name emphasizes our focus on healthcare security. You may have known us under the eXI or VeriChip brand, but we are now bringing all our products under the Xmark name.

Isn't that special?

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Doctors back plan to store medical info under your skin

Devices the size of a grain of rice that are implanted with a needle could give emergency room doctors quick access to the records of chronically ill patients, the nation's largest doctors group said in a report.

The association adopted a policy Monday stating that the devices can improve the "safety and efficiency of patient care" by helping to identify patients and enabling secure access to clinical information.

Read about your future here.

Fingerprinting and eye scans for children as young as five

The guidance will say that personal data, including fingerprints and eyeball scans, can be collected from pupils and used to monitor attendance, so long as schools consult parents first and do not share the data with outside bodies.

Schools will be able to place fingerprint scanners at the entrances to classrooms, the school gates and even in cafeterias.

Remind me not to move to Britain.

Lose more privacy here.