Back to the Future - 2020
Can you imagine your world 13 years from now without surveillance? Well, Robert Gellman certainly can’t and he’s come up with eight “fanciful” but somewhat apocalyptic musings about how watched the average citizen might become. Here’s an abridged version of his list:
“Auto tracking. Every car will be required to have a transponder, and automated highway readers will record all trips. The transponders will allow agencies to monitor driving habits and to issue electronic tickets for violations. The system will collect fees for using congested roads, replace parking meters and prevent undesirable people from driving in certain areas.
Very personalized PC. Every computer will have a static IP address. No one will be able to operate a computer without registering through a token, fingerprint or other identification device.
MySpace is mandatory. Every individual will be required to maintain a personal Web page with basic contact information accessible by the government and the public. People with out-of-date pages will be fined.
Society caught on tape. Surveillance cameras will be even more universal than they are today. You will not be able to walk down a street, enter a store, park in a garage, ride the subway, sit at your desk at work, open your front door or do anything else outside your home without being recorded.
Penniless marketplace. Currency will disappear and all money will be electronic. Every transaction will be permanently tracked. Private money systems will develop using tokens, gold and other forms of intrinsic value.” (Source: Direct Marketing News)
Of course, the underlying point here is that today’s seemingly innocuous surveillance technologies can take on scary lives of their own tomorrow. By that time in the future, these surveillance applications would be the ‘new normal’ for those who don’t remember anything different.
We as regulators can play an active role by continuing to “sound alarms,” about today’s seemingly harmless intrusions with the hope that someone out there becomes concerned enough to just say NO!
September 20th, 2007 at 12:03 pm
[…] Imagining Privacy in 2020 […]
September 21st, 2007 at 1:49 am
[…] We as regulators can play an active role by continuing to “sound alarms,” about today’s seemingly harmless intrusions with the hope that someone out there becomes concerned enough to just say NO! Source: Office of the Privacy Commissioner » Blog Archive » Back to the Future - 2020 […]
September 24th, 2007 at 8:10 am
I cannot imagine something like MySpace as mandatory. You can lead a horse to water but you cannot force them to complete an online profile!
September 24th, 2007 at 10:15 am
I agree with vehicle tracking and computers. Most new cars already have blackboxes, and integrated GPS is simply waiting for the cost to come down. Eventually the the blackboxes will record seatbelt usage (# of occupants), speed, location, etc.) Memory prices currently limit this to seconds, but soon it will be days, months and years. When that happens, police will want access to the information. So will insurance companies would will offer “Discounts” if you provide them with the data. Maintaining your privacy will penalize your pocket book, and label you as suspicious.
Computers are easier. Most consumers have an ISP who is capable of logging everything you do online. Police and national security interests will soon make it mandatory that this information be kept almost indefinitely for future investigations. In the USA this data is being subpoena’d by divorce lawyers, etc. Eventually governments may require this information for security clearances. Failing to do so will make you ineligible for work in the public, aerospace, defence, and financial world. Once again privacy hits you in the pocketbook.
September 28th, 2007 at 7:49 am
Video data collection is already so prevalent… the proliferation of privately owned CCTV in public spaces is steady, and unfortunately seems to be happening without any form of regulation or control, at least in Nova Scotia. Some jurisdictions make attempts to regulate private CCTV use but it’s half-hearted at best. What happens to collected data? Is it linked to bar-scanned driver’s licences? Is it sold? Who knows? When will an enterprise approach the owners to see how the data can be linked to track individuals’ movements? There seems to be no interest by legislators to make efforts to prevent such initiatives. It’s disturbing. Regards, John van Gurp
October 14th, 2007 at 10:45 am
For some related sci-fi reading, take a look at Cory Doctorow’s “What If Google Was Evil?”
http://www.radaronline.com/from-the-magazine/2007/09/google_fiction_evil_dangerous_surveillance_control_1.php