No More Clear Skies? No More Privacy?

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No More Clear Skies? No More Privacy?

3/15/2005

By Terry Calhoun

Here’s my understanding of the situation. Data aggregators collect information about us any way they can, and whenever they can they aggregate that data in one spot. So, my mechanic and my car dealer both know that I drive both a red Suburban and a red Aveo. My financial advisors know that I re-mortgaged my house a year and a half ago. Lowe’s knows that I have been buying drywall and flooring. A certain chain appliance store knows that I have ordered a full kitchen’s worth of new appliances. There’s a certain veteran’s information site that knows I was there looking up some disability stuff a few months ago for my brother-in-law.

What’s the first consequence of people knowing these kinds of things? Well, nowadays it is truly amazing how the frequency and content of the daily flood of spam can change in response to one’s commercial activities. A few weeks after re-mortgaging, a daily subset of mortgage and house loans spam were added to my in box. And within a week of buying those appliances, I started getting spam about appliances. I also get spam about Suburbans and accessories, although in that case I don’t know if it’s my dealer or my mechanic. And, of course, now I’m getting lots of spam about veterans, too.

So, you might ask, What? Well, a few more spam messages. Sure, that’s not a big deal. I agree. But that’s just the first step.

The data aggregators collect all of that in one spot. And then they sell it to people. They sell it to almost anyone who can pay for it. You or I could start a business and be qualified to purchase that data within a week. And that’s the dirty secret that the mainstream media dance around rather than inform us about.

In the case of the source of some of the biggest headlines in recent weeks, it appears that a group of people with initial criminal intent created false identities for themselves and over time purchased detailed personal information about thousands of people; information that could be used to steal those person’s identities and commit all sorts of crimes using them.

During that same time, thousands of legitimate companies bought the same kind of data about lots of people, too. The headlines told us that data was stolen, but they failed to note that just about anyone who wanted to could have bought that data and, in fact, the data wasn’t stolen it was purchased, fraudulently purchased. And, of course, even honestly purchased data of that sort can then be lost, stolen, or fraudulently used. Basically, the business model for data aggregators is collect data, sell it, and let the chips fall where they may.

Maybe the horse is out of the barn and closing the door is too much trouble. Data aggregation is here to stay and our lives will be forever poisoned by the fact that someone with enough money and connections can always find out about us maybe even more than we know about ourselves.

But I wonder what would have happened to our blue skies if modern communications and technology existed before they were forever ruined by contrails and their jagged, decaying remains. Picture this: It’s 2005, and until now airplanes (for some reason) had not left contrails behind in the air. A new airplane g'es into commercial usage and it leaves behind a contrail. There is a public outcry about contrails despoiling everyone’s clear blue ceiling, and citizen’s groups and governments regulate contrails out of existence, so that we can all enjoy peaceful blue skies.