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."
E-mail Print r 11   · Read More · 79 Comment(s) http://osne.ws/hfv
Thread beginning with comment 399101
To view parent comment, click here.
To read all comments associated with this story, please click here.
RE[4]: Statement defensible
by Bounty on Fri 11th Dec 2009 18:16 UTC 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