Say ‘Cheese’
Big Brother Britain ‘putting lives in danger’ – 24dash.com: British experts warn about the increased dangers of electronic data gathering, not only from governments, but also from businesses and criminals.
Supermarket loyalty cards, CCTV schemes and Government projects such as the national identity cards scheme must be adapted to minimise the risk of a “Big Brother Britain”, experts warned today.
A report on privacy and surveillance painted a frightening picture of a future where personal details could be hijacked and abused – possibly even placing lives in danger.
The Royal Academy of Engineering predicted that “biometric” details such as the fingerprints which will form part of the compulsory ID card scheme – could be compromised by terrorists and criminals.
The document said biometric data stored on radio frequency microchips on passports and the Government’s multi-billion pound ID card project could be “eavesdropped” by fraudsters.
For example, there should be greater protection of electronic personal data and stricter guidelines for those who hold such information, including CCTV images.
The sheep are eerily quiet!
#2, you’re right. 🙁
3. Baaaaaa!
I guess the masses are tired of hearing about, my diabolical plan is working! Pretty soon I will blackmail everyone for 1 MILLION DOLLARS.
Report WARMS about dangers?
I know, that is pretty coldblooded.
I’m one of the silent here. Not because I don’t value my privacy but I’m not sure, at all, what to do with all these CCD cameras.
However, there are some things we CAN do:
* Email This is any easy one.The Geek community needs to get serious about on-line privacy — starting with email. It all needs to be encrypted and signed.
* Telephones. Ween a $10 gizmo we can plug into our phones and no longer worry about the fashist elements of the Patriot Act. VOIP and cell phones should be the same.
* Computers, networks and OSs built ground-up for privacy. If the government or another thief confiscates your computer, they should have to work like hell to get any data off of there.
* Credit cards It’s just insane how easy they are to steal. We must demand that congress force the credit card companies to fix this.
* The social security number problem. It was never meant as a national ID number and it sucks in that function. Yet, that’s how it is used. This needs to be fixed.
BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY:
* Privacy Bill of Rights. Congress needs to update the bill of rights in this new age. Who owns our private data? You and me? The government? Corporations? This needs to be clarified in law. If our personal data is leaked or abused, what is our recourse?
Right now, anyone who collects the data, legally owns it. Right? That’s just wrong. For example, a company shouldn’t have the right to keep your credit card number forever just because you shopped there once.