Proxy Glider

Imagine that! Information overload as a privacy violation…

In today’s world we are spammed with massive amounts of information. There’s actual spam, of course. My email spam folder gets hundreds of messages a day. Every now and then, I like going through my spam folder to laugh at the spam taglines. My spam folder has even been used in the creation of odd poetry.

But when I think of information spam, the first thing that pops into my mind is advertising. Targeted advertising displays adverts you might be interested in based on your search. There’s also advertisement overlays on video sites like YouTube (don’t you just hate not being able to see the whole video screen because of an advert that just won’t go away!). Advertising is everywhere, spamming us with an overload of information targeted specifically for us.

Today is International Data Privacy Day. When people think about privacy, their thoughts almost always turn to things which they feel threaten their privacy, things like SOPA/PIPA, ACTA, or H.R. 1981. While these may be legitimate threats to privacy, is that all you think about when the subject of privacy comes up?

Bill Gates said something 10 years ago, in a Microsoft email where he promoted Trustworthy Computing. What is Trustworthy Computing? I quote from that email:

“What I mean by this is that customers will always be able to rely on these systems to be available and to secure their information. Trustworthy Computing is computing that is as available, reliable and secure as electricity, water services and telephony.”

And how does privacy fit into Trustworthy Computing? It’s an integral part, according to Bill Gates.

Privacy: Users should be in control of how their data is used. Policies for information use should be clear to the user. Users should be in control of when and if they receive information to make best use of their time. It should be easy for users to specify appropriate use of their information including controlling the use of email they send.

Trustworthiness is a much broader subject than security or privacy. When we think of things that violate our privacy, we generally relate it to things that violate our sense of security.

But this line: “Users should be in control of when and if they receive information” Wow! Even though information overload isn’t necessarily a breach of security, it is a privacy violation.