OT: GLB (?) Privacy
saukriver:
On one hand we can argue that the economic engine runs
smoother when more information is available to all
participants. But, when it comes to information that is
specific to ourselves, we would rather argue to shut
everyone else out. But we check BBB for bad apples.
So is there some hint of NIMBY here ;-)
We publish tons of census data and can zero in such small
units as blocks for ethnic, family and economic grouping.
One could easily use this to, say, dispatch a sales force to
sell certain kinds of toasters in that block. Is this also
an invasion of privacy ? Where can we draw a line ?
From a 50,000' perspective, the information train has been
rolling along pretty steadily, almost at the same pace as
the computing power to process it has been. It's going to be
rather hard to stop.
BTW
There is a rather amusing case study in the current HBR
about a company where a laid off employee emailed everybody
detailed payroll info on her way out. Like most Harvard case
studies, it examines the issue from liberal, conservative
and Machiavelian (sic?) angles.
I do like my privacy, and I imagine so do most others.
But, at what price ? For example, how many people subscribe
to mail anonymizers ?
In the end, if the breach is too wide, and the pain too
acute, our elected government reps. will hear about it and
will do 'something' about it. Perhaps over the next 20-30
years. In the meantime, expect businesses to give us lip
service, and a busy tone, while the July 1 deadline passes
by.
Regards
Dinesh
ps: I did suggest you a method to benefit from it -- the
1-900 number. It's an original ::-) |
