on 2/11/00, Lizard <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>Can anyone who finds the concept of corporate databases keeping them
awake nights explain to me precisely WHY this bothers them? Obviously,
it IS a major concern for a lot of people -- but, as with genetic
engineering or nuclear power, I cannot understand the CAUSE of the
fear. I need to know.<
this is a fair question... and a fun one to address.
as is the case with the other examples you point to: nuclear power
(with its never-ending waste disposal and accident risk problems) to
GMO technology (which assumes the engineering of an organism is solely
genetic and fails to recognize the feedback loop between the internal
and external environment), these issues are subtle, hard to fully
grasp, and their potential dangers unplanned on by early enthusiasts.
DoubleClick and CMGI are not interested in Sally's indiscreet hotmails
or Peter's marathon pornsurfs-- they are interested in being the
gold-standard of modern advertising. nevertheless, as in the other
cases, the unforeseen but inevitable consequences from the trajectory
of these short-term profitable practices are surprisingly harsh and
irrevocable.
in the case of genetic engineering, are we able to say what effects
will result in nature, in plant biology, and possibly even in the
life-cycle of other species when we change the internal systems of
one? have the lessons of most scientific experimentation since
relativity been lost on us? we are all connected... our systems are
interactive. the deeper we look, the more blurred the line between
genetic and environmental influence becomes.
so what of corporate databases concerned with our soda drink
preferences? this is exactly the disarming image that many people have
when they consider what they perceive to be an already existent and
only quasi-lamentable total loss of privacy on the net. as you put it,
"The WORST that will happen is you'll end up on some mailing lists. The
best? You'll get a coupon and save 50 cents." but i think most people
would be genuinely shocked to learn the extent and sophistication of
todays' state-of-the-art profiling, and that the WORST is potentially
graver than what even the privacy advocates might easily imagine.
i believe it is thoughtful and outspoken thinkers like yourself who will
be in for the rudest awakening. it won't be the people who feel a need
to hide who will speak up and try to stop this juggernaut. suddenly
those that do not stand out in the crowd, the normal people who have
nothing to hide and could have cared less about erosion of net privacy
will feel trapped and exposed-- not by oppressive big brothers who judge
them, but by automated algorithms and shared data that give rise to
insurance cancellations, denials of credit or scholarships, or trigger
covert embedded surveillance systems for "preventative" law enforcement.
it represents a collective loss of no less than what it is that defines
us as unique human beings. slowly, profile by merged profile,
automated corporate software will churn every bit and byte about your
every move, from the biometric ID systems in public places, to cash
machines, to credit card purchases, to which websites, which keywords,
which stocks were researched, and by result, which interests, medical
concerns, social behavior, etc...to the point where your driving
records, criminal history, medical history, credit reports, home
address, email addresses, private phone numbers, employment, income,
assets & liabilities, even personal spending and browsing habits on the
net combine with the rest of your collaboratively filtered data to form
a unique transactional self-- your personal profile.
this market identity, bought, sold and traded as the ultimate commodity
of the new millennium will do more than generate discount coupons. it
will govern your every interaction, condition the spontaneous
generation of web pages that you see, package your media, display
products for you to choose from, select your entertainment, not to
mention choose the advertising you see. the entire world as represented
electronically will be tailored to this data master, and only then
might the flesh slaves realize what has happened.
no doubt, the race between education and disaster is played out
perfectly in the privacy wars if the early zeros. Public indifference,
government paranoia, and corporate greed most likely will combine and
give rise to a previously unforeseen or suspected data dictatorship.
The new book "Database Nation: The Death of Privacy in the 21st
Century" by Simson Garfinkel skillfully creates the context for
understanding this scenario.
at the base of this privacy-eating monster is the systematic abuse of
those heretofore harmless data strings called cookies to identify
clickstreams and aggregate these "online footprints" that form a
significant part of our profile. however, i think involuntary profiling
of individuals is an early stage technology "solution" that will not
ultimately meet the needs and goals of online retailers and will soon
prove impractical and ineffective. The information that is gathered is
incomplete, and the assumptions made are often inaccurate guesses. the
business rules that would make such a system work are too infinitely
complicated to be practical in the real world. In addition, the privacy
backlash will add to the cost of use. as such, I trust that this method
of consumer tracking will be abandoned in favor of a non-anonymous
vendor-consumer dialog where the consumer elects to supply personal
information exclusively to those vendors whom they frequent and have a
private "commercial relationship" with. users will be attracted to
vendors who walk their privacy talk, and demonstrate respect for their data.
this personalization phase is a new one and it grows more complex and
concentrated with each day. DoubleClick promised never to match user
data with real identities and addresses, but has since reneged on that
promise. at the moment, the financial markets seem to be betting on the
Orwellian model of e-commerce since DoubleClick stock, in the midst of
this media storm on their privacy issue, continues to enjoy an upward
climb. however, as more people learn about cookies, involuntary cookie
use will itself attract growing criticism, and this may not continue to
be the case. as the effects of the GMO controversy on Monsanto and
Novartis is illustrating, when the public gets energized around an
issue, the markets listen.
personalization without privacy or real choice is oppression, but when
people are free to decline cookies, free to decline profiling, free to
insist all user data be kept from third parties, and still use a site
with full functionality, then, for those that DO give their informed
consent, personalization can be a powerful convenience and result in a
more productive and pleasant web experience.
If there is a perception that protection of net privacy is a function
of paranoia or of concern only to extremists, perhaps we should look at
the European solutions to these problems for guidance and perspective.
We are free to window shop or browse merchandise on Main Street without
losing our anonymity, we should have no less right in cyberspace.
However, for those who want to be well known, and be offered personal
and efficient service wherever they go (even before they decide to go
there), let them have it.
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
