Monday, August 9, 2010

The Great Privacy Debate

It's Modern Trade: Web Users Get as Much as They Give - Wall Street Journal
Only one thing is certain here: Nobody knows how this is supposed to come out. Cookies and other tracking technologies will create legitimate concerns that weigh against the benefits they provide.
Tracking Is an Assault on Liberty, With Real Dangers - Wall Street Journal
Through the sites we visit and the searches we make, we disclose details not only about our jobs, hobbies, families, politics and health, but also about our secrets, fantasies, even our peccadilloes. 

I think Mom's advice is still the best: Don't write down anything you wouldn't want everyone to know. Only now, "write down" covers more real estate than it used to.

Related thoughts from Eric Schmidt, Google CEO. I think he's expressing fantasy rather than certainty when he asserts:
"True transparency and no anonymity", he says, is the way forward - and there's nothing we can do to prevent it.