Privacy?

Got privacy?

Depending on how you define privacy, the answer can vary. Just by looking at this post you've just given the following information: your browser, your os, your IP, your general location and town, your language, your internet speed, how you got here, how long you spent here, whether you have Java, JavaScript and flash version. But not just to this domain, but also the web hosting company, Google, blogger, and the site that you were on before here and now. If you post some horrible thing and the FBI gets involved, you'd of started the process of giving out all your other information (since the FBI would be looking into everything).

That's a lot of information you're giving out isn't it? Not really. If you don't give your IP, there's no way to know who's requested the information. Most people in the world (most likely) use IE, Firefox, Safari, or Opera to browse the web. You've either got a dial-up or broadband/DSL connection. Most of the information involved is so general, that it could apply to one of a million people. I could say you're male and be right almost 50% of the time.

But everyone to an extent is so worried about their privacy. True, people would like to think that what they do won't be known to the "wrong people" or even government. People expect their phone calls to be unmonitored, their e-mails not to be read by others, even their postal mail to go unread except by the intended recipient. They don't even want machines to look into it, of course the second they find out that some evil plot could've been avoided had people of known of phone calls, mail, e-mail, etc, they're up in arms over it wondering why the government didn't step in.

But let's just think about the overall privacy of things shall we (everything following is USA based, just change the terms for your country if it applies)….

Got a SSN (social security number)? Do you know who has it? Every hospital, doctor, credit card company, utility, some superintendents (the people who rent your place), employers, schools, banks, car rental and dealerships, stores, library, video rental place…. Oh yeah, and your state and federal governments. The only people who don't have your SSN are your friends and family, you know the people you "trust"? People are so concerned about their privacy yet they give the one piece of information (their SSN) out to everyone so they can get credit checks, background reports, etc (and most times, it is done for these purposes) -- yet they're all worried that a website can find out what state they live in. Let's see… landlord knowing every credit card you own and the balance on them vs. some unknown person knowing what state you live in (or possibly city if your ISP is actually in your home town).

Kind of puts things in perspective doesn't it? Exactly why does anyone (other than places that give you money) actually need your SSN? Credit reports? They're trying to get a "likelihood to pay a doctor credit report" that you'd have to get checked before any medical treatment (and they're sure that doctors won't treat people differently because of it! [so um, why's it needed then?]). Bad credit? Maybe you were unemployed after an accident or injury and bills piled up. Now you can't get a job because of not having a job; can't afford car insurance (since it's based on credit history) since you don't have a job; can't get a job elsewhere since you don't have a car to get to that job; can't move to another town because the landlord will pull your credit history --and all because people get to collect your SSN to run these checks. Do they ever ask why you have a bad credit history? Nope, doesn't matter, they'll just find someone else that has a better one.

But do people complain about this? Of course not! Why complain, it's just a number! Yet people will complain about their search history being made public, or even their phone number being listed online. Everyone's just a number anymore. We're all marked by a number or two or a dozen -- and many of them are tied to our SSN. It's probably the #1 privacy breach out there, yet if you don't provide it, you'll get nothing. Funny isn't it? Isn't the "recognized only by a number, and can't buy/sell things without it" one of the signs of the biblical end of the world?