The Privacy Poll

This afternoon I took a Facebook poll on privacy.  I answered how satisfied I was with the privacy settings and if I felt they were easy to find.  Then there was a box for my comments so I commented.

"I enjoy FB.  However, privacy is an illusion.  I self-censor and I’m mindful of what I post, both status updates and with pictures.  FB is a free service but information is the new currency & knowledge is power.  That makes information priceless.  Right now FB is the 900 lbs. gorilla in Social Media and people, being people, like to share information about their favorite things; themselves.  I’m cautious as to what I share and to what extent I share it, I don’t think you can’t make a setting for that - yet.  I know this isn’t a space for questions but what is FB’s stance on CISPA?  - Thank you for your time."

And that was that. 

The price of admission these days is tied to data – your data.  I love Social Media; further, I am an apologist & proponent for it.  At this point in our history and, I hope, far into the future a user driven, free & open internet is in the world’s best interest.  That said, if you are going to participate in Social Media be it Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Reddit, Pinerest, or even blogging you should be aware of the price.  For many, including me, it is still worth the price of admission but that cost may be increasing if members of Congress had their way; CISPA (Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act) passed in the House but failed in the Senate.  It is only a matter of time before someone else who has no idea or concept of what they are talking about proposes legislation to take away your online freedoms & compromise your personal information.  I hope whatever may come next meets a similar fate as CISPA & SOPA before it. 

“You must pay for everything in this world one way and another. There is nothing free except the Grace of God. You cannot earn that or deserve it.” ― Charles Portis, True Grit

CISPA, You Say?

Hey remember SOPA / PIPA?  Yeah?  Good times, good times.  Well it turns out that there is a new bill about to go before congress called CISPA or the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act. 

“CISPA… What’s that?”

There is an excellent article by Mr. Trevor Timm from the Electronic Frontier Foundation that explains the situation much more eloquently than yours truly can.  “CISPA stands for The Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act, a cybersecurity bill written by Rep. Mike Rogers (R-MI) and Dutch Ruppersberger (D-MD) (H.R. 3523). The bill purports to allow companies and the federal government to share information to prevent or defend from cyberattacks. However, the bill expressly authorizes monitoring of our private communications, and is written so broadly that it allows companies to hand over large swaths of personal information to the government with no judicial oversight—effectively creating a “cybersecurity” loophole in all existing privacy laws.  Because the bill is so hotly debated now, unofficial proposed amendments are also being circulated and the actual bill language is in flux.”

So companies and the government can exploit loopholes in privacy laws to swap personal information and private communications?  Aren’t laws already on the books to prevent something like this?  What are our lawmakers doing?

Mr. Timm’s full article, Cybersecurity Bill FAQ: The Disturbing Privacy Dangers in CISPA and How To Stop It can be found here: https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2012/04/cybersecurity-bill-faq-disturbing-privacy-dangers-cispa-and-how-you-stop-it#what-is-cispa.

Gentle Reader, I am the occasional slacktivist and now happens to be one of those times where I encourage such behavior in others.  Check it out for yourself and (No Pressure), if you feel so inclined, sign the petition to your representatives as I have.  Our privacy is worth it.

"I fight for the Users!" - TRON