Before we pay too much attention to the headlines and the soundbytes, though, we should perhaps wonder if there are more sinister invasions of privacy than a Google car taking shots in the street.
For example, we could start with newspapers.
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8 replies on “Worried about privacy? Forget about Street View”
You are absolutely correct of course, the pictures that Google takes can be taken by anyone with a camera, don’t see what the fuss is about. But of course the real problem is that most people get their information from the newspapers and the Government, and the latter will obviously never get the public worked up about their invasions of privacy…
Have you seen the latest one – the police in london telling you to check your neighbour’s bins.
http://www.met.police.uk/campaigns/counter_terrorism/index.htm
When did The Day Today become real?
When was it not?
It just gets better. Home Office considering extending data retention to social networking sites. What do you mean, your private life is none of the government’s business?
That one has at least made national news. Perhaps people might notice.
Probably not.
> Home Office considering extending …
Do we still need to bother with that phrasing these days? We all know “considering” never means anything but “will” any more.
As I’ve said before, the best way to defeat this crap is, unfortunately, to let it all go ahead and then watch it fall spectacularly on its arse. That’s the only way to get enough of the public outraged enough that it’ll actually be defeated long-term rather than just postponed for a couple more years. And a government spending significant resources on sifting through hundreds of thousands of copies of “I got so sh*tfaced lst nite lol” and “Mike! It’s been ages! How are you, you great big twat?” and “Gary took the Super Hero Quiz and discovered he is Robin the Boy Wonder” seems to me like a good solid jump down that path.
Sam Leith: