Crumbling: More must be done to prevent electronic invasion of privacy

Good news, if you are an AT&T subscriber, your cell phone provider will no longer be attaching what are being called "super cookies" to track your meanderings around the Internet.

The reason they were doing it -- and why, for now, other companies ARE doing it -- is not because they are concerned for their customers' safety, although perhaps that could be a side benefit of the ever-present intrusion on privacy that has become the world of the Internet and smartphones.

They are installing super cookies so they can mine data about your spending habits and your Internet surfing habits and sell them to people who are looking to market products and services.

Oh, goody.

You should know that there is a generational divide -- a very wide one -- when it comes to the ease by which personal information is surrendered.

Younger generations do not seem to have any problem at all allowing just about anyone to know just about anything about their personal life, Internet research and cell phone calls. They are even fine with cell phones that track where they are going and "pop up" a free coupon as they walk through a store.

Those who have a few more gray hairs are much more reluctant to leave any information in the hands of anyone who is governed by a profit motive or who is part of the great dysfunctional bureaucracy that is Washington, D.C.

We know what can happen when privacy is left to the honor system. (And some of us have read George Orwell's "1984.")

So the question remains, "How do we make sure that companies and the government get only the information we want them to have and use it only for what we want them to use it for?"

The answer is, no one is sure yet.

But there are some precautions that should be taken right now to make sure that this data is used for good and not evil.

Restrictions should be placed on how companies can use this data -- and stiff penalties should be imposed if they misuse it or fail to prevent it from being stolen. Customers should be given full disclosure on collection and disbursement methods and the option to opt out if they would rather keep their Internet activity to themselves.

And more people should think a little bit longer before revealing every private detail of their personal lives online. With all its potential uses for good -- connecting people with like problems and interests, providing instant access to information and allowing instant gratification when it comes to national and international spot news -- the Internet is still a bit of a wild west, with lots of rogue players and few defined rules for engagement. And as its uses become more widespread, the need for rules will become increasingly urgent -- no matter what the major players say.

And then there is the government. Do you really want Congress, the National Security Agency or the White House keeping tabs on your movements and promising to care for the information it collects? And do you want those same people in charge of deciding who is a threat and who is not without any supervision or hoops to jump through?

Nothing really could be scarier.

Just think back to "1984."

Published in Editorials on November 24, 2014 11:33 AM