How concerned are you about online privacy?

[Johnsie]

With sites like Facebook and Youtube collecting tonnes of personal information about people and Google realsing an OS that stores all the applications you use elsewhere, how concerned are you about data mining on the Internet?

[emigrant]

huh ... google releasing an OS?

[Johnsie]

Google OS is like a data-miner for the companies that run the apps. It encourages the passing of possibly private information to third parties.

[RabbitWho]

Emigrant has must immigrated from the moon.

Anyway... at the moment I don't mind, because I don't think anyone is particularly interested in my information.
But it scares me because of the potential problems it could cause in the future. Or if this technology can do this here, what about in China or North Korea or places where people are controlled/checked more.

(that was the most diplomatic way I could put it)

We think we're safe in the west from that kind of thing, but all it takes is one group of disenfranchised youths to vote in some extremists or one bunch of politicians to decide it's their job to take care of us as if we were children and then we've potentially the same problem.

[twidget]

heh. one of the major reasons I started fiddling with Linux is cause I don't trust ms with my data.

[madnessjack]

Using the Internet is simple, don't put stuff on there you wouldn't want anyone to have! I put some faith in Facebook with it's privacy settings (I set them as strict and as tight as possible, and I don't allow many apps) but if they did get out or sold I wouldn't give a crap anyway.

They made an attractive site/app so if people give them the data let em have it.

[Cuddles McKitten]

If you care about data mining, then it's up to you to avoid it -- which is not terribly difficult.

[t0p]

Or if this technology can do this here, what about in China or North Korea or places where people are controlled/checked more.


What, like the USA, or Europe?


We think we're safe in the west from that kind of thing, but all it takes is one group of disenfranchised youths to vote in some extremists or one bunch of politicians to decide it's their job to take care of us as if we were children and then we've potentially the same problem.You think current governments aren't already doing this stuff?


Using the Internet is simple, don't put stuff on there you wouldn't want anyone to have! I put some faith in Facebook with it's privacy settings (I set them as strict and as tight as possible, and I don't allow many apps) but if they did get out or sold I wouldn't give a crap anyway.


To open a Facebook account, you need to supply your name, date of birth and email address. Those bits of information can lead an investigator to find out more. And there's quite a lot an identity thief can achieve with that info.


If you care about data mining, then it's up to you to avoid it -- which is not terribly difficult.

Once you know what you need to do - and to avoid doing - it's pretty easy, sure. Problem is, lots of people don't know how to avoid the data collection. And a lot of people don't even care (such as madnessjack?). And I think we all need to care, even if we think we don't. If someone commits fraud in your name, you'll start caring soon enough. The cops will make you care.

There's some handy hints here (http://www.eff.org/wp/effs-top-12-ways-protect-your-online-privacy). It's worth looking up the references too.

[madnessjack]

To open a Facebook account, you need to supply your name, date of birth and email address. Those bits of information can lead an investigator to find out more. And there's quite a lot an identity thief can achieve with that info.

If I gave you my Facebook email and password you wouldn't be able to find my real name. If you think you have to submit your real details then more fool you! :P

[zagz]

How concerned are you about online privacy??


About this much <---->

[RabbitWho]

What, like the USA, or Europe?


You think that people have more freedom in North Korea than in the USA and Europe?
That's idiotic.

[t0p]

You think that people have more freedom in North Korea than in the USA and Europe?
That's idiotic.

I didn't say or imply that people in North Korea have more freedom than in the USA or Europe. I just questioned your implication that many governments in the West don't carry out surveillance and data collection. You're right, it would be idiotic to think that we in the West are surveilled anywhere near as much as those in North Korea. But just because US and Europe governments don't spy on us as much as the North Korean government spies on its own people, that doesn't mean Western governments don't spy on us at all.


If I gave you my Facebook email and password you wouldn't be able to find my real name. If you think you have to submit your real details then more fool you! :P

Of course I know that there's nothing physically stopping you from supplying false data when signing up to Facebook. Just a couple of points:



I don't know about Facebook; but many sites state in the agreement that you must supply correct info. I know that many people ignore these agreements, but some people don't like breaking the rules. Or lying;
Some people will supply correct info because they just don't realise how risky it is. Such people need to be educated, but they don't see the dangers so they don't see the point of learning how to protect their data;
If you don't post accurate details, it makes it very difficult for long-lost friends or relatives to find you.

[madnessjack]

Data protection is a problem, but not on Facebook and Google. Think about credit cards and supermarkets, retailers, restaurants etc. These guys have far much more useful dirt on us than anyone on the Internet, because people shop in shops more than on the Internet, etc.

Sidenote: I really don't want long-lost "friends" or relatives finding me on facebook thanks ;)

[NoVista]

Another reason I don't like cloud computing.

[indiandruid]

n/a

[hobo14]

To open a Facebook account, you need to supply your name, date of birth and email address. Those bits of information can lead an investigator to find out more. And there's quite a lot an identity thief can achieve with that info.

My FB account doesn't have my real name or DOB, and only a throwaway email address.

[cascade9]

I didn't say or imply that people in North Korea have more freedom than in the USA or Europe. I just questioned your implication that many governments in the West don't carry out surveillance and data collection. You're right, it would be idiotic to think that we in the West are surveilled anywhere near as much as those in North Korea. But just because US and Europe governments don't spy on us as much as the North Korean government spies on its own people, that doesn't mean Western governments don't spy on us at all.

Of course western governments spy on you. Echelon, anyone?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echelon_(signals_intelligence)

North Korea does it the old fashioned, east german style way. With much much more resources per person than the western governments. If the west started throwing money at spying like the Koreans did, they would do a more effective job IMO.


Of course I know that there's nothing physically stopping you from supplying false data when signing up to Facebook. Just a couple of points:



I don't know about Facebook; but many sites state in the agreement that you must supply correct info. I know that many people ignore these agreements, but some people don't like breaking the rules. Or lying;
Some people will supply correct info because they just don't realise how risky it is. Such people need to be educated, but they don't see the dangers so they don't see the point of learning how to protect their data;
If you don't post accurate details, it makes it very difficult for long-lost friends or relatives to find you.


+1. 100% agree.


Data protection is a problem, but not on Facebook and Google. Think about credit cards and supermarkets, retailers, restaurants etc. These guys have far much more useful dirt on us than anyone on the Internet, because people shop in shops more than on the Internet, etc.

Sidenote: I really don't want long-lost "friends" or relatives finding me on facebook thanks ;)

The real problem is that you can connect the dots. If you've got someones credit card numbers, date of birth, photos (handy for making up false IDs), email address, friends, connections (and possibly other stuff like your job) you've got an amount of information that I consider very dangerous.

But I know lots of people who like all this. "wow, it will be great when they get more demographic information, think of all the stuff I'll find. I would really like it when I go to youtube and instead of just getting 'related videos' I will get 'youtube recommends these videos for you'". Etc.