For much more than a decade we have been learning that privacy is dead, particularly in regards to internet privacy. It is difficult to argue together with the evidence.
As a result of laws composed when fax machines were considered high tech, information can be accessed by government agencies from cloud storage with minimal judicial supervision.
The government isn’t alone. Nearly every commercial web site (including the one you’re now reading) deposits cookies that track your movements online. Firms like Google manage to find ways around it, when consumers attempt to block tracking.
Also, data is shared by a number people on Google Plus, Twitter, Facebook, and other societal websites, just dimly conscious both marketers and also the authorities are also collecting our private info. There is a whole industry dedicated to mining that data, fitting it to real life tasks, and using it to choose whether you are likely to vote Democrat or Republican, in the event you are in the marketplace for an automobile, in the event you are pregnant, and whether you are an excellent candidate for credit or a poor insurance risk.
Despite this gloomy appraisal, all hope isn’t lost. While dangers to our personal privacy enlarge so do possible options — whether it is stealth computing technology, improved regulation, new privacy laws, or the appearance of a consumer-driven data market.