Josh Voorhees’s Individual Privacy in an Online World, does a great job of encapsulating the issues and challenges related to online privacy. I especially like how Josh details the five pressing problems concerning internet privacy. Of these fears, I’m especially concerned about #4, the prevalence of Big Brother. Josh writes,
While it is easy to dismiss many drastic claims of online dangers, the reality exists for potential serious implications for the collection of private data all in one place. Imagine if your potential health insurance provider had access to your credit card bills and could tell how often you ate fast food, drank at a bar, or bought cigarettes, this information could then be used to set your premiums and deductibles.
I see the concern here but when I think of Big Brother I’m even more concerned about the government using and manipulating information about me. Say for instance I post a message to a political blog or email list, and then I’m put on the no-fly list—it wouldn’t surprise me if this has actually happened. Recently we learned that Verizon has given out personal information when the government asked for it—they didn’t even wait for a court order.
So, to my mind, this whole issue is probably the most important facing the Internet today.
