Ubiquitous mobile computing technologies is an intimidating prospect. It circumvents one of the prime prequisites of privacy: Imperfect knowledge. With computers, accuracy of records forms the core of stable functionality. User A logs in and all user a related stuff is called up for A's convenience.
The convenience is apparent. However, the accuracy required in assigning A-material to user A is also essential for this convenience to be possible. That means A is clearly personally identified. There goes secret voting in e-voting.
Extrapolate this to "convenient" location-based technologies. With smart cards, the identity of the user and every point in the user's journey will be recorded as long as the user comes into contact with a gantry. Now your daily trips, and possibly what you did at each point, are being logged into a database.
Finally, when there is perfect convenience...you can pay your bills automagically, get freebies from advertisers knowing your favourite perfume brand, cheerfully get discounts on your favourite movies... Whoops there goes privacy. The Wired (or Wireless) Omniscience has you. While your friends can know which building you're at, so can your boss (if you claimed to have cramps and then went shopping instead) and perhaps every voyeur who managed to crack into your personal profile tracker.
Monday, January 08, 2007
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