By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
SmartData CollectiveSmartData Collective
  • Analytics
    AnalyticsShow More
    analyst,women,looking,at,kpi,data,on,computer,screen
    What to Know Before Recruiting an Analyst to Handle Company Data
    6 Min Read
    AI analytics
    AI-Based Analytics Are Changing the Future of Credit Cards
    6 Min Read
    data overload showing data analytics
    How Does Next-Gen SIEM Prevent Data Overload For Security Analysts?
    8 Min Read
    hire a marketing agency with a background in data analytics
    5 Reasons to Hire a Marketing Agency that Knows Data Analytics
    7 Min Read
    predictive analytics for amazon pricing
    Using Predictive Analytics to Get the Best Deals on Amazon
    8 Min Read
  • Big Data
  • BI
  • Exclusive
  • IT
  • Marketing
  • Software
Search
© 2008-23 SmartData Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Data Privacy: the Creepy vs. the Terrifying
Share
Notification Show More
Aa
SmartData CollectiveSmartData Collective
Aa
Search
  • About
  • Help
  • Privacy
Follow US
© 2008-23 SmartData Collective. All Rights Reserved.
SmartData Collective > Big Data > Data Mining > Data Privacy: the Creepy vs. the Terrifying
CommentaryData MiningData WarehousingPolicy and GovernancePrivacy

Data Privacy: the Creepy vs. the Terrifying

StephenBaker1
Last updated: 2011/05/26 at 3:14 AM
StephenBaker1
4 Min Read
SHARE

At the e-G8 summit yesterday, I got into a little spat over privacy. My point, in a panel discussion, was that there are two different classes of privacy concerns: those that make people feel creepy, and those that terrify them. As technologists and policymakers grapple with the issues, they should focus on the terrifying, I said. We’ll get used to the creepy.

At the e-G8 summit yesterday, I got into a little spat over privacy. My point, in a panel discussion, was that there are two different classes of privacy concerns: those that make people feel creepy, and those that terrify them. As technologists and policymakers grapple with the issues, they should focus on the terrifying, I said. We’ll get used to the creepy.

This brought a vigorous rebuttal from Mitchell Baker, chairperson of the Mozilla Foundation. She was upset that I appeared resigned to world full of “creepy” privacy invasions, and said that Mozilla, among others, was determined to take measures to help people manage and protect their data. Shouldn’t that be the goal?

My point is that our data is already everywhere, much of it beyond our control. Many people find this creepy, but that’s the modern life. We are increasingly surrounded by surveillance cameras, which will soon be supplemented by more sophisticated facial recognition software. Our credit cards spill the beans on our purchases. Our telephones describe our movements and social networks, not to mention the words we text and the pictures we send. Our cars are bristling with sensors and computers, and will be reporting on us in ever richer detail. Machinery at the airport sends images of our naked bodies through networks. I could go on and on–and in fact I did in The Numerati. So while it might be a good idea to add controls on Internet browsers or establish tighter norms for advertisers, this doesn’t rescue our privacy.

More Read

data breaches

How Hospital Security Breaches Devastate Local Communities

Data Ethics: Safeguarding Privacy and Ensuring Responsible Data Practices
Tips to Protect Office 365 Systems from Data Breaches
The Importance of CSRD Data for EU-Operative Businesses
Google Report Shows Android Users Need VPNs for Data Privacy

I’ll admit: most of the surveillance I describe above doesn’t bother me much. Some, however, find it creepy. And this is where I’m likely to get into another argument. I would argue that certain privacy advocates raise these issues of advertiser and cell-phone tracking as fundamental threats to privacy. In doing this, they elevate the creepy to the terrifying. (Now it’s true that the advertisers and media companies facilitate this by hiding their practices in unreadable privacy disclaimers.) And this risks distracting people from the most serious risks.

What are those? For me, the terrifying is related more to issues of life and freedom. That’s where governments must defend us. Here are three scenarios:

1) The police, after going through your behavioral data, determine that you fit the profile of a terrorist. Your life becomes hell.

2) You’re a teacher, and investigators analyze loads of your behavioral data and calculate that there’s a 46% chance that you’re a pedophile. Do they have a responsibility to share that conclusion with your boss? What then?

3) Insurers mine your data, determine that you have a high risk for a dreaded disease, and cut off your coverage.

StephenBaker1 May 26, 2011
Share This Article
Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn
Share

Follow us on Facebook

Latest News

data breaches
How Hospital Security Breaches Devastate Local Communities
Policy and Governance
analyst,women,looking,at,kpi,data,on,computer,screen
What to Know Before Recruiting an Analyst to Handle Company Data
Analytics
data perspective
Tackling Bias in AI Translation: A Data Perspective
Big Data
Data Ethics: Safeguarding Privacy and Ensuring Responsible Data Practices
Data Ethics: Safeguarding Privacy and Ensuring Responsible Data Practices
Best Practices Big Data Data Collection Data Management Privacy

Stay Connected

1.2k Followers Like
33.7k Followers Follow
222 Followers Pin

You Might also Like

data breaches
Policy and Governance

How Hospital Security Breaches Devastate Local Communities

7 Min Read
Data Ethics: Safeguarding Privacy and Ensuring Responsible Data Practices
Best PracticesBig DataData CollectionData ManagementPrivacy

Data Ethics: Safeguarding Privacy and Ensuring Responsible Data Practices

7 Min Read
office 365 data protection
Risk Management

Tips to Protect Office 365 Systems from Data Breaches

9 Min Read
The Importance of CSRD Data for EU-Operative Businesses
Policy and Governance

The Importance of CSRD Data for EU-Operative Businesses

7 Min Read

SmartData Collective is one of the largest & trusted community covering technical content about Big Data, BI, Cloud, Analytics, Artificial Intelligence, IoT & more.

data-driven web design
5 Great Tips for Using Data Analytics for Website UX
Big Data
AI and chatbots
Chatbots and SEO: How Can Chatbots Improve Your SEO Ranking?
Artificial Intelligence Chatbots Exclusive

Quick Link

  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Follow US
© 2008-23 SmartData Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Go to mobile version
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Lost your password?