Privacy state-of-the-planet -- it's not good
Sam sez, "The 2007 International Privacy Ranking rates selected countries in terms public surveillance. Each year since 1997, the US-based Electronic Privacy Information Center and the UK-based Privacy International have undertaken what has now become the most comprehensive survey of global privacy ever published. The Privacy & Human Rights Report surveys developments in 70 countries, assessing the state of surveillance and privacy protection. The most recent report, published in 2007 is probably the most comprehensive single volume report published in the human rights field."
It's pretty dismal. Basically, no country in the world presents a healthy environment for people who care about their privacy. Link (Thanks, Sam!)
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Hmm. . . map left out the little blank spot that is me.
Dude, man we're not even safe in our own livingrooms. Do you know what I mean? Well, yes you do..
It's like, you're sitting there in your underwear, one hand on the mouse, the other hand wrapped around a tub of Häagen-Dazs and you're wondering who is tracking the event. I just blurbed a little about a resume browsing session feature and then read it after posting. I got the creeps immediately, remembering an email session or two that crashed and were resumed. There's no point in hitting 'don't resume' if you're worried about privacy. By the fact that there is 'resume' option, it's all been recorded.
And still, I love the feature :(
I'm not pro surveillance, no where near it. But people blow the threat of it out of proportion a lot of the time.
Nevertheless, it's an interesting map!
Citizen Maurik, your attitude has been noted.
I'm very much a privacy extremist, and I don't mean to apologize for American privacy abuses, but these ratings have quite clearly been distorted to make a point. France, which currently issues national identity cards containing biometric information, scores higher on "identity card and biometrics" than the U.S., which has... outstanding but derailed proposals to do substantially less than that?
A watched society is a polite society. I'm sure there has to be some truth to that. I assume that emergent AI will allow for more order in the world because it will be able to sift through the hundreds of billions of CCT images produced every second, finding those little faces that match those on Big Brother's wanted list. If criminals find it very hard to hide then we will all be better off. We'll just all get use to the idea of living in a more connected society. Fewer secrets, living a harmonious life as a hive-mind-Borganism. Or something like that. Let's just hope we can dress better than the Borg.
And things are getting worse. Australia is trying to move from red to black!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7165987.stm
once you go black you never go back
It looks like Greece is the only country that stands out - anyone know why?
"They've gone to plaid!"
Also, a few stupid mistakes:
1) Scotland is red in the table, and black on the map
2) Why the heck is Svalbard red? I'm pretty sure the polar bears aren't all that interested in your personal details.
Once more, I see people who don't understand evolution of tyranny. To prevent 1942, you must stop the reaction to Kristalnacht. There is no sound reason to slowly convert us into an open air prison "for our safety". We've lived a half millions years with a "lack" of such safety, and we can live another half without it.
Sigh. No knowledge of history. I blame the lack of reading of decent SF, written by men who were polymaths and understood process. Please don't reference Star Trek when talking about the evolution of tyranny.
Stop the cameras and movement logs now, while we can. In twenty years we will be gerbils in a laser-guarded cage if we do not.
Also, in the US, it's illegal. 9th amendment mentions that rights exist held in common that cannot be listed, but will arise when needed, and seven centuries of common law and everyday human life speak to a right to human privacy.
If those of you who care more for being safe in your cubic rather than being free men, build Pournelle and Niven's archologies to live in. Cameras in the home, monitored by trusted white authority figures. I call it prison.
Remember tho, that people aren't all that safe in prisons, even with open gated walls faced by serious guards watching you. Apparently safety depends on whether your tormentor is chummy with your guards -- or if say the guards or the warden don't like you. No terror is as complete as a prison staffed by people who don't like you.
There have been tens of thousands of "Patriot Act" related secret search warrants that have reportedly been granted here in the US since 2001, and what worries me is the number of prosecutions.
Zero.
If the US had no history of keeping lists of internal enemies, and if these lists had never been used to justify second class citizenship, then we wouldn't be paranoid about their existance, would we?
LOL... what a joke of a map!
Oh, if only I lived in Egypt or Libya, where I could be free! FREE I TELL YOU!!
Lol.
@14: OK, I don't say this often, but you're an idiot. Those countries are gray on the map, you'll notice there's no gray on the legend. That means, to most people who have paid attention in grade school, those countries are not included in the report.
They could be even worse than the U.K., but they're not included.