You Have Zero Privacy Anyway -- Get Over It
Linked by David Adams on Fri 11th Dec 2009 01:25 UTC
Privacy, Security, Encryption I was reminded of Sun Microsystems' Scott McNealy's infamous sound byte (used as the title of this article) when I read about Google CEO Eric Schmidt's foot-in-mouth moment during a recent CNBC interview (YouTube Link). Here's what Schmidt said: "I think judgment matters. If you have something that you don't want anyone to know, maybe you shouldn't be doing it in the first place. If you really need that kind of privacy, the reality is that search engines -- including Google -- do retain this information for some time and it's important, for example, that we are all subject in the United States to the Patriot Act and it is possible that all that information could be made available to the authorities."
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RE[3]: Statement defensible
by jack_perry on Fri 11th Dec 2009 18:12 UTC in reply to "RE[2]: Statement defensible"
jack_perry
Member since:
2005-07-06

A really poor choice of example. The porn sites are most certainly recording who visits their sites, and I'm sure you'd agree that they have every right to do that, since you're accessing content they've provided, probably on their servers, too. So there goes any privacy, unless you think a corporation's possession of browsing habits guarantees your privacy. Then they will share that information with each other to figure out your preferences and what they can do to increase your number of visits, credit card charges, etc.

Then there's the whole issue of cookies, so they're probably checking what non-porn sites you visit, too, which eliminates even more privacy.

A much better example would have been visiting jihadist websites (hello, NSA data miners). Fancy a scholar who visits the websites for legitimate reasons, and thus gets put onto a Big Brother watchlist. But even there privacy is lost.

Reply Parent Score: 2

RE[4]: Statement defensible
by Bounty on Fri 11th Dec 2009 18:16 in reply to "RE[3]: Statement defensible"
Bounty Member since:
2006-09-18

Porn sites are prefect examples. You share your private information with sites or people you trust.

I trust that porn sites will not share that information with my mother. Security through obscurity is real and practical for many purposes. There is theoretical security, then there is real life.

Reply Parent Score: 3

RE[5]: Statement defensible
by jack_perry on Fri 11th Dec 2009 19:31 in reply to "RE[4]: Statement defensible"
jack_perry Member since:
2005-07-06

It's a terrible example. Do you really think that most people visiting porn sites know what and how much information they're sharing with those sites, or of how easy it is for someone to snoop on them while doing it? I doubt it.

You also think porn sites are trustworthy? Do you think most people who visit them, believe the sites to be trustworthy? If so, they're gravely mistaken. Porn sites have been known to embarrass users by obtaining private information without permission and (for example) emailing them image-laden links. ("That must be spam, dear; I have no idea why that company imagines I would be interested in their products.")

Reply Parent Score: 3