From now until next April, I am trying to live without a digital footprint. I’m using multiple pay as you go phones, which I’m replacing every four weeks. I have several different laptops, which I use for different things. I pay for everything in cash, which I take out every month from the same cash machine. I buy a daily travel card (in cash). There is still, of course, a digital footprint of sorts, but it’s incredibly difficult to link everything together, and I will be scrambling my IP address and using the laptops only in set locations for specific purposes.
After not having technology in the conventional way for only a week, I cannot exaggerate enough how different and isolating life is. There's nohaving a smart phone on me at all times, able to entertain and distract me at any moments pause. No laptop to stare at in the evenings. None of my favourite music, all available at the click of a button. No Google Maps or Uber. No emails. Instead I can store 35 texts on my phone, play Suduko (it doesn’t save) and I even have to teach my phone the word "iPhone". Non-smart phone options aren’t great.
After pointing out that governments utilize technology to conduct surveillance, the author of that article says:
ReplyDelete"So there needs to be a Technology Minister, who will regulate technology. Yes, it grows at an exponential rate, and it takes years for government ink to dry, but regulation on ethics, and protecting the rights of citizens comes before technological growth at any cost."
For Mark Farid government is the cause of the problem, but the solution is more government control of private industry. Though this type of view is quite common, it's still absolutely bizarre.
For us mere mundanes there are numerous reasons to want privacy. The argument that if you have nothing to hide you have nothing to worry about is weak. Especially considering governments inability to secure data. Your personal info stored in government data bases is not comforting.
ReplyDeleteA bigger picture problem is blackmail of the political class as Russell Tice has discribed: http://www.boilingfrogspost.com/2013/06/19/podcast-show-112-nsa-whistleblower-goes-on-record-reveals-new-information-names-culprits/