Proposed Online Identity Program – Protective or Prying?

Great answer, cwarner7 11. I was talking to my father about the same thing just yesterday. I'm with you – I too believe that nothing we do is private, whether it's searching the internet or talking on a cell phone. This is why this topic caught my eye – that and because I found it incredibly telling that Homeland Security is the one behind it. Considering that they likely have the ability to see everything as is, it seemed odd that they were even opening it up to the public like this.

Since many do believe that the government is trying to look out for them, it's interesting to see that this is how Homeland Security is selling it. For me, the system they've proposed right now is very troublesome. It does suck that virus makers, hackers, and whoever are out there trying to get at your information right now – but it seems like the proposed system would make things even more vulnerable for everyone.

I especially agree with your sentiment that bad buys will always figure it out and that law-abiding citizens will always bear the brunt of these initiatives. What's next, telescreens?

remember that movie The Net with Sandra Bullock....

the fox is guarding the henhouse....

I was thinking more along the lines of George Orwell's "1984"...

From the back seat: "Are we there yet?" Or: "I spy with my little eye"

Boring, boring, boring........>>>>>>>>

It's just a waste of time to be protective. It's open slather for all and sundry. Even strength in numbers gives no protection any more. When I was researching explosives, for the use in the Gulf oil spill disaster, it suddenly daunted on me that my searches could be misinterpreted and I stopped. I calmed myself and said "I can explain! No need for the hand cuffs officer." But he would not listen. He was following orders, nothing he could do about it.

We have castrated our selves and where from here?

A: "Yes, we are there now"

A: "It starts with a D"

Too late now, I suppose, Ky.

Animal Farm All animals are equal, some animals are more equal than others

that too.

Yep. Stinks of trying to make themselves (Homeland Security) more legitimate behind the false pretense that this new, agreed upon, "security" system is what has allowed them to collect the information they already have access to. It is true that there is little privacy anymore. Only now are some people waking up to that fact. There are quite a few "private" companies whose business is marketing these kinds of databases and information. It's the bane of the electronic/information age.

In an article, "Top Secret America A hidden world, growing beyond control", published in the Washington Post Monday, July 19, 2010, some very interesting information was published about how big and pervasive the intelligence community has become since 9/11. The bad news is that it appears no more efficacious at interrupting international terrorist scheme than those that came before. The good news is that with all the information being collected and analyzed by an "estimated 854,000 people" at "Some 1,271 government organizations and 1,931 private companies", that publish on the order of "50,000 intelligence reports each year", there is such a tremendous overload of information that no one can effectively act on any of it. Of course, the article only details the public face of this megalith- no telling what is behind the walls of the really secret stuff.

So, in effect, our personal privacy is guarded by the fact that there is just too much information available to allow anyone to single us out. If nearly a million (known) analysts can not spot one bad guy (even though they have a wealth of information, as it turned out was true of the 9/11 attackers), it is unlikely that flooding the system with more information is going to result in a loss of privacy- we all get lost in the noise...

we all get lost in the noise...

my conspiracy theory chip (XtR-911b) tells me that the opaqueness factor of the chaos is really just a one way mirror. They can see us, and we can't see them. (or blame them. They can override rights at will, but can't be individually prosecuted. The confusion really just keeps the animals within the farm perimeter. the old psychological fence. we also are scared shatless into being hypervigilant about our 'neighbors' and reporting them.

good researching though cw, regardless of our difference in analysis.

Chris

We are devolving into something America is not supposed to be.

you think that's something new to America?

Just google for corporate and govt data loss, many many incidents of idiots losing whole databases from stolen laptops and other incidents.

Trust them with your personal data at your peril.