All Your Data Are Belong to Us
Jun 21st, 2006 at 12:22 pm by Susie
Here’s what I want people to do. When someone tells you he or she is a Republican, look them straight in the eye, ask “Why?” and then wait. Don’t say a word.
Because I don’t know about you, but this kind of Big Brother horse hockey shouldn’t fly in a real democracy:
AT&T has issued an updated privacy policy that takes effect Friday. The changes are significant because they appear to give the telecom giant more latitude when it comes to sharing customers’ personal data with government officials.
The new policy says that AT&T — not customers — owns customers’ confidential info and can use it “to protect its legitimate business interests, safeguard others, or respond to legal process.”
The policy also indicates that AT&T will track the viewing habits of customers of its new video service — something that cable and satellite providers are prohibited from doing.
Moreover, AT&T (formerly known as SBC) is requiring customers to agree to its updated privacy policy as a condition for service — a new move that legal experts say will reduce customers’ recourse for any future data sharing with government authorities or others.
I’ve been watching these little events pass one by one-watching as private entities become owners of everything we do, all the data related to anything we do, and can do with all that information virtually anything they please.
There’s talk of privitizing the toll roads. Soon we’ll step out our doors into a world almost completely owned by private entities rather than the people.
Capitalism has run amok.
Is raising an eyebrow quizzically at their response allowable?
One would have to keep a straight face , of course. That’s gotten to be just insanely difficult.
Soon they’ll own all the air and water too.