Digital privacy and anonymity - do you care?

[Fed]

We've all seen the headlines. The almighty state is bugging your communications, whether you're a criminal or not. Massive multinationals are selling your data for profit, and have no regard for your privacy. We're living in Orwell's 1984, whether you like it or not.

Or, the sky is blue, the Pope's a Christian, spies spy and companies (not all) make money. Google provide an excellent service by analysing your data and offering you the things you need. Going on holiday? I'll advertise you travel insurance. Looking for pets? Here's a link for Pets at Home. You use Facebook to communicate with friends worldwide, and protestors embraced Twitter for the Arab Spring. Technology has revolutionised the world we live in, and tech clusters around the world are leading the way, notably California, U.S.

How sceptical are you of the recent NSA revelations? Do you think civil liberties are there to be trampled on in the interests of national security? What are intelligence agencies spying on in this day and age? Do you trust Google, Facebook and Apple? Do you use online storage? Are you willing to sacrifice your data to use these excellent tools for free? Do you follow the Tor Project, or use fake accounts, avoid real names, no personal information?

Idly wondering these things at the moment, and probably more interested in your browsing and technology habits, than political debate.

 

[GermanyChris]

(1) How sceptical are you of the recent NSA revelations?
(2) Do you think civil liberties are there to be trampled on in the interests of national security?
(3) What are intelligence agencies spying on in this day and age?
(4) Do you trust Google, Facebook and Apple?
(5) Do you use online storage?
(6) Are you willing to sacrifice your data to use these excellent tools for free?
(7) Do you follow the Tor Project, or use fake accounts, avoid real names, no personal information?

(1) I don't trust agencies that have no real bounds.

(2) Yes civil liberties are being trampled

(3) The NSA is looking for a needle in a hay stack by burning the hay

(4) I trust no large corporation especially those three

(5) I Don't use online storage

(6) See above

(7) Tor is great but many of those servers are located in the states so the trustworthiness is now in question.

 

[designs216]

We've all seen the headlines. The almighty state is bugging your communications, whether you're a criminal or not. Massive multinationals are selling your data for profit, and have no regard for your privacy. We're living in Orwell's 1984, whether you like it or not.

Or, the sky is blue, the Pope's a Christian, spies spy and companies (not all) make money. Google provide an excellent service by analysing your data and offering you the things you need. Going on holiday? I'll advertise you travel insurance. Looking for pets? Here's a link for Pets at Home. You use Facebook to communicate with friends worldwide, and protestors embraced Twitter for the Arab Spring. Technology has revolutionised the world we live in, and tech clusters around the world are leading the way, notably California, U.S.

How sceptical are you of the recent NSA revelations? Do you think civil liberties are there to be trampled on in the interests of national security? What are intelligence agencies spying on in this day and age? Do you trust Google, Facebook and Apple? Do you use online storage? Are you willing to sacrifice your data to use these excellent tools for free? Do you follow the Tor Project, or use fake accounts, avoid real names, no personal information?

Idly wondering these things at the moment, and probably more interested in your browsing and technology habits, than political debate.

I don't trust any of the big companies, especially those that control the pipe to the internet. Terms of service basically say if you sign on with us, we'll do what we want with your info. Companies are under constant pressure to push revenues higher at any cost. Our lawmakers face a daily barrage of temptation from the powerful lobbies of these corporations.

The NSA incident is not a surprise. The question is, how much privacy are we willing to sacrifice to possibly prevent future terror attacks? I do use cloud service but try limit info I give -- data mining probably makes this pointless. One can use fake accounts but sooner or later you'll use the credit card online and they'll have you.

 

[CrickettGrrrl]

I care.

I was very disheartened to see the WaPo article yesterday about Maryland's digital line-up database for criminal investigations using the license photos of innocent people mixed in with criminal mug shots. Talk about a hot mess. --Like most driver's license and passport photos make ordinary, innocent people look like criminals already.