[LINK] Airport to tag passengers

[Frank O'Connor]

Woah Dumbo!

At 7:35 PM +1000 16/10/06, Deus Ex Machina wrote:
>you have to look at the underlying themes, privacy is an opportunity
>for the small minded leftist to put the boot into business. there is no real
>problem, just an imaginary problem that falls under the generalist
>banner of "privacy". you should never question this too deeply because
>you will get meaningless comparisons about publically disclosing your
>bank account details.

It used to be almost synonymous with a  right, Vic ... now it's a 
very tenuous privilege that disintegrates more each day.

It's a bit like any government who proposes a new tax. Agree with 
that and you are certifiably insane ... because you know that down 
the track they will be collecting more moolah from you and not less - 
otherwise they never would have proposed the damn thing.

Same with privacy. "We're just going to take this little bit away 
from you" or "we're just gonna watch you a little closer - but you 
have nothing to fear if you're innocent." And it's justified by the 
'security situation' or the 'War on Terror' or 'to make business (or 
government) more efficient' or whatever.

Problem is, you never get it back again.

All you get is an increase in surveillance. Further decreases in privacy.

And you think that makes for good government? For democratic 
government? For rule by the people?

Nah ... it just makes all those bureaucratic bozos and government 
busybodies  you forever (and SO tiresomely) rail about happy. It 
gives you something to bitch about down the track, when you so 
disavow any responsibility for the state of affairs which now has you 
so riled. Yeah Vic ... when bozos like you are suddenly on the short 
end of the privacy stick you conveniently forget your agreement (nay 
your encouragement) of the state of affairs you suddenly find 
yourself in.


>
>again you would think we didnt already have privacy legistlation.


That pretty much covers how the government deals with information you 
give it ... and not other parties. That said, it doesn't prevent 
government from gathering and collating information about you ... it 
just restricts what they can do with it.

And private industry ... yup, they're as responsible as government. 
If there's a buck in it, they'll throw privacy to the winds - except 
as it affects them of course.

Don't you just:

Live for those phone calls at 6 or 7 o'clock?
Thrill to the junk mail dropped in your mail box?
Live for SPAM?
Die for direct marketing?
Love those videos of people (who thought they were safe) doing 
something stupid on YouTube?
Love the those upstanding PI's who spy on people everyday for a buck.
Seriously enjoy filling out census forms, BAS forms and every other 
goddam time-wasting form the government sends you.
Really get off on filling our surveys and other forms from industry 
and the like - secure in the knowledge that only they are gonna be 
privy to it.

I mean ... we're so much better off now than we used to be.

And think of how much better it will be in a few years time. We won't 
have time to do anything but answer phones, clear out our mailbox, 
build better SPAM detectors, talk with these wonderful people on the 
phone, watch videos of our stupid friends (and threaten the outlets 
who show ones of us), make friends with the thousands of members of 
the security forces we now know by name, fill out government and 
private industry forms whilst desperately trying to contain the 'In' 
tray. And even better ... it's all for our own good.

We should feel privileged.

At 7:35 PM +1000 16/10/06, Deus Ex Machina wrote:
>no thats not relavent, what is relavant is that lefty can express
>paranoia, pessimism and publically reasure each other that evil scheming
>corporates really do want to shove periscopes up their... to see what they
>had for breakfast.

Paranoia and pessimism - best way to deal with government, somebody 
who's trying to sell you something, and those who would reduce YOUR 
rights and privileges to the betterment of theirs. You may not have 
noticed Vic ... but paranoia and pessimism aren't the exclusive 
privilege of the left, of Communists, or whatever. They're political 
leaning agnostic.

The once consoling factor about this increase in surveillance is that 
the point it is all going to (our government) is so bloody 
inefficient, so bogged down with bureaucracy, so obsessed with 
process to the exclusion of all else that it's highly unlikely that 
the information they collect will have any effect on their wooeful 
efficiency and effectiveness .... other than clogging the system a 
bit more.

But I do hope they have the time and inclination to send more of 
their stuff your way, Vic .... because hey, whilst you're filling 
that crap out you won't be online.

								Regards,