Last November there was a story about how an accused murderer’s computer’s history of Google searches helped convict him.

We regularly read articles about how email was used in a court case.

Last week Google refused to provide the US Department of Justice with extensive search data.(see collection of links at beSpacific)

Om Malik’s article Living a Cached Life argues that Scott McNealy was right, that the only privacy you will have will be in your thoughts.

"Search engines are like the digital sand, where we leave foot prints. Corporate email systems (as Microsoft and Bill Gates know all too well from their DoJ adventures), instant messaging systems, and even shopping carts – we are leaving a tiny bit of privacy wherever we go."

If you are someone who cares about their privacy (and not everyone does) there are things that you can do, starting with not doing personal things on your work computer.(see Don Dodge for 7 tips).

Privacy and technology are not incompatible: the privacy threatening features of internet technology are not separable from the capacity that makes it desirable or useful on other grounds. If you take care you can have your privacy and use technology, except where you trade it for a service you want.

Privacy analysts divide the population into 3 categories. “Privacy fundamentalists” are deeply concerned about privacy rights and reject any consumer benefits that require release of data about themselves. At the other end of the spectrum are “the privacy unconcerned”, who don’t think about privacy, don’t see any problem about giving their information away or how it might be used. In the middle are “privacy pragmatists” who balance the potential benefits and threats involved in sharing
information and are concerned about “function creep” (ie the secondary use of information originally divulged for one purpose only.) Pragmatists will give up protection depending on what they get in return.

Telecommunications providers know the date, time, length, call number and destination of phone
calls. If you are calling from a mobile phone, they know your location. Pay TV services know the viewing interests of subscribers. Internet portals know the interests of users. Online financial services aggregators and bill management services have access to sensitive personal financial information. Businesses can track a customer’s purchase history.
Information about you is stored on public registers and telephone and email directories. Your school,
university and employer may have published your name. Discussion groups and chat rooms can be searched. Junk email is commonplace.
Your identity can be verified through DNA databases. There are surveillance cameras in public places.

There is a record of the prescription drugs you use and your medical history.
Technology records the magazines we purchase and the articles we read. When a person enrols for
prenatal classes, she receives catalogues for baby products. When a veteran fills a script for arthritis, he gets a letter from DVA telling him how to manage arthritis. When you lodge a building application with your local authority you get junk mail from building suppliers.

Your motor vehicle location can be tracked (telematics).

Current technology allows previously unrelated information to be collected and analysed by search engines. Businesses sometimes enter into strategic alliances to share technology and
information and share advertisements. Information provided for one purpose is able to be used for another.

Do we only have zero privacy if we don’t value it?