1984

[scandium]

Originally Posted by SUBMAN1

It is happening. You are being watched on that very post you just made. You are now being monitored in your livingrooms as to the type of shows you watch (Through digital cable). Some people are even using an experimental device to see if cable ops can see emotion across the wire on certain commercials. Tivo is now selling what ads you skip over so you can get targeted ads. Don't ever think that when they say that it is annonymous that they can't trace it back to the source. Your credit cards and ATM tell people what you buy. I've even heard of a DUI conviction being upheld simply because Safeway records showed that the guy buys a lot of beer. Your ISP's now are being told they should hold onto your records of where you go on the net. Everyone wants to install spyware for the same purpose (without your consent) on your PC to monitor your habits. Cookies track you where you go. Your cell phones now can be targetted to watch where you travel and your daily habits. Even your DNA is being sought by insurance industries. Who owns your DNA? I've figured out that I don't own mine it would seem. Insurance companies sell your information. Telemarketers record your data and sell it to who knows where. Your cars are being equiped with monitoring devices that can be used against you in a court of law, and they tell throttle position, brake position, if you were speeding, and rental companies are now even using GPS to monitor where you go, and even give you a ticket if you exceed the speed limit. All your are travels are forever documented. All your phone calls are kept forever as far as I know. Even your work is watching your health record, and they are starting to take a valid interest into what you do when you are not at work...

I can go on forever with this list, but to think that 1984 is not happening....

To see what is under attack in the US on any given day as far as datamining:
http://www.eff.org/

Or their partners in crime:
http://www.epic.org/

Any day on the register is another day of privacy and monitoring under attack and people are trying to control your life:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/

Another good site similar to the Reg above:
http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx

But if you just want the world to run itself and don't care what people think of what underwear you buy, you can just go here: http://mrcam.free.fr/trance4ever/ind...&fonction=mixs - I suggest A New Planet by Stef which will make you forget about all the worlds problems.

-S

PS. If you can support either EFF or EPIC, please do.

PPS. The world knows more about you than you do about yourself - mark my words.

Outstanding post Subman, with some excellent links as well, and surprise I actually agree with you 100% for once. If I can add, or expand on the list a bit, then a few more points:

ISPs in the US have been "requested" by the government to keep all their traffic logs for 2 years. As these ISPs make up much of the backbone of the Internet then this amounts to a very big database of your surfing habits including such things as what sites you connected to, when, what email you sent and to who, the email's header (if not the contents as well), what files you downloaded and when and from where, and on and on.

Viruses/trojans and worms are also becoming far, far more sophisticated and prevalent now than they were before as well; the worst of the lot can and will open an ftp port, or an smtp port (to send this data as an email with attachment) without your knowledge (and attempting to bypass any firewalls you have as well) and use it to upload the contents of your stored windows & browsers password files, history and saved forms (those things your browser uses to remember your bank account# & pw if you use online banking as well as any other logins and passwords you have it "remember"); they can also log your keystrokes and program usage for malicious means and even allow your PC to be remotely connected and controlled.

Those are just a couple trends on the internet front whereby privacy and security are becoming increasingly illusory, but it is the internet - the most globalized and sophisticated, and revolutionary, information and communication tool there is that has been under constant assault from government, corporations (many of them very shady) and criminals, that could - potentially - help bring about a kind of 1984 that even Orwell couldn't imagine.

That said I'm not about to "unplug" but self-protection is a must these days (more than ever before) and thankfully there is good grassroots activism, like the EFF, to fight back.

[Edit] One more link to add to Subman's list, though these guys don't deal exclusively in privacy/security matters they do pay a lot of attention to it: www.slashdot.org