US data-collection bill gets chilly reception A proposed US congressional bill to regulate the collection of personal data is being almost universally panned, with privacy advocates arguing it's inadequate and pro-business groups saying it goes too far. The draft legislation (PDF) would for the first time impose national standards on how companies collect IP addresses, …
This Bill puts the cart before the horse.
There is a natural distinction between:
1) Data collected by Government in anticipation of security needs, never to be disclosed, and
2) Data collected by Government for operational purposes to provide Public Services, and disclosed as statistics.
There is no such distinction for extra-Government data collection. Yes, I mean Google, Facebook, et al..
Until a voluntary, coherent policy (a rigid Social Contract) comes forth from the Service Provider parts of Government not to disclose individual information on the citizens, the model by default will be the same as data collection by extra-Government entities.
Otherwise, Big Brother will perish with the outsourcing of the Fall of the (Roman, etc.) Empire ("Run the Government just like a Business") and a Dark Ages of no privacy with an unending harassment by predators (Yes, I mean Google, Facebook, et al..) in search of resources (that would be us) is sure to follow.
If you ask me, we need Big Brother to get his fat ass off the couch and help with this one.
Which you would be likely inclined to TURN OFF, due to the liability and targeting you receive from Uncle Sam as he uses you to go on fishing expeditions for pirates, terros, pedos, etc. You hve nothing better to do then to collate all that data for him, right? Its not like you have a business to run or anything...
"Thank you very much," He says as he skips out before you can give him the bill; pretty sure he already passed that law that you eat all the costs. "Don't forget to pay your taxes, now," as he drives off out of sight... until the next time...
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