Cory Doctorow: Is Your Search History Really Anonymous?

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2009/10/31/Rethinking_Privacy_in_an_Age_of_Disclosure_and_Sharing

Boing Boing editor and blogger Cory Doctorow warns that Web searches are more difficult to "anonymize" than is commonly believed, citing AOL's accidental data disclosure in 2006. "Would it harm you if those queries were broadcast to the world?" he asks. "I think the answer is an unequivocal yes."

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The increasing reach of information technology into all areas of life, from social networking websites to data sharing in public services, has thrown up a number of questions about privacy. Information about our medical records, financial circumstances and shopping habits is increasingly likely to be stored in electronic media that are out of our control.

Some argue we are seeing a fundamental shift in attitudes to privacy, with a whole new generation growing up at ease with sharing pictures and information about themselves online with loosely-defined "friends." Meanwhile, we are increasingly suspicious of goings-on "behind closed doors," and the demand for privacy often seems a cranky hang-up of those with something to hide.

In this context, what does it mean to insist on a right to privacy? Should we look to privacy laws to protect those who are less keen on sharing all? Where is the line between public and private today? Do we need to redraw this line and why is this so politically important? - Battle of Ideas 2009

Cory Doctorow (craphound.com) is a science fiction novelist, blogger and technology activist. He is the co-editor of the popular weblog Boing Boing (boingboing.net), and a contributor to Wired, Popular Science, Make, the New York Times, and many other newspapers, magazines and websites. A visiting senior lecturer at the Open University, he was formerly Director of European Affairs for the Electronic Frontier Foundation (eff.org), a non-profit civil liberties group that defends freedom in technology law, policy, standards and treaties. In 2007, he served as the Fulbright Chair at the Annenberg Center for Public Diplomacy at the University of Southern California.

His novels are published by HarperCollins UK and simultaneously released on the Internet under Creative Commons licenses that encourage their re-use and sharing, a move that increases his sales by enlisting his readers to help promote his work.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• google
• bing
• yahoo
• aol
• web
• internet
• privacy
• rights
• data
• collection
• storage
• research
• private
• information
• engine
• users
• cookies
• browsers
• fora.tv
• foratv
• fora
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• cory
• doctorow
• battle
• of
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• institute

[GuppyPal]

This kind of stuff scares me because I know there are people out there who want everybody's search queries monitored to make us "safer." We may be safer, but I'd rather have my privacy. Every rule takes away a freedom. Don't forget that.

[On1yCheryl]

In the 1990's there was a saying that you could be as anonymous as you wanted to be on the internet. That really isn't true. There will always be a way to identify someone by various means. There will always be those who can work the system, but the average user just doesn't know enough to really hide.

[happinesson]

his list sounds funny, but it is true! It our right and privacy needs to be protected..

[harrisandrew91]

so unussual but it's kinda amazing…

[SaintsOfImpurity]

@marsCubed im sure hes just advocating a balance between the two

[abdishtar]

"how to kill you're wife?"

Hand her over to Abdishtar, no killing necessary, he'd be glad to take her for you, he's sick of being single. lol

[Mrmoc7]

"How to kill your wife?"

Funny that some are searching this, while I'm still trying to figure out how to get laid....  Goddammit!!

[marsCubed]

@GuppyPal

"Every rule takes away a freedom. Don't forget that."

So you think there should be no 'rules' to protect privacy?

your comment is nonsense.

[LokiClock]

Anonymous actions reflect people's true desires. Anonymous, mainly textual displays of socially unacceptable behavior is more of an outlet than anything, and will allow people to grow past those modes of behavior. It may be disconcerting that people act differently when anonymous, but it would be much worse if they couldn't act out anonymously in any way, either. It's the same reason why kids need to play without their parents watching them.

[DSBrekus]

Unfortunately on the internet including youtube and certain online gaming cultures we see the negative side effects of anonymity.

Somehow people think being anonymous means their behavior no longer matters, despite the reality that the moral implications remain unchanged.

Have you ever heard someone say "he/she is really nice in real life" as if that makes any difference.

Maybe its just young kids thinking they are rebelling, maybe the grow out of it, I hope we can keep anonymity, but idk.

[kevintype]

Personal privacy is gone. I'm not speaking against privacy - it was nice while it lasted - but it has become a thing of the past. Now our challenge is to preserve freedom in a post-privacy world.

The problem we face is that corporate market researchers can monitor our activities, but we cannot monitor what they do with our data.

The solution may be transparency: requiring corporate interests to disclose how they use every piece of the information they collect about us.