Readers' Comments

Reader Comments on Aardvark Daily 10 March 2003
Note: the comments below are the unabridged submissions of readers and do
not necessarily reflect the opinions of the publisher.
From: robert rozee
For : The Editor (for publication)
Subj: privacy, an outdated concept

hi,
    for years i have battled against the erosion of
personal privacy. amongst other things, i was one of the
few students at canterbury university whose picture was NOT
held in an electronic database (the university finally
agreed that they would make my student id card, then remove
the saved picture from their records).

but the 'battle against the system' has become an
impossible one as technology and methods have become
ubiquitous...


my niece started high school this year. one the first
things the school did was to 'compel' all students to
provide a fingerprint for the school's library ID system.
next, everyone was photographed and issued with what most
people would describe as a universal ID card. as it turns
out the card (called a 'CanDo' card) is issued to many/most
high school students in canterbury, and is a scheme run not
by the schools, but by Security Plastics Limited for the
regional council (ie, local government). Security Plastics,
a private company, holds student records on file in case a
replacement card is ever needed. all done without parental
consent.

and (i believe) at linwood high school they have now
installed surveillance cameras; a practice that i would not
be surprised to see repeated at other schools. these
cameras 'make the school environment safer for students' -
no more bullying, drugs, or running in the corridor.


all these measures serve to desensitise youth to the issues
of privacy, and to make them more receptive to similar
technology in later adult life. certainly my niece was
quite receptive to providing a fingerprint and being issued
with a universal photo ID card; she really didn't care
about the privacy implications. and most other people i
have talked with about these measures are, on the whole,
unconcerned - or if concerned, not enough to be willing to
take any action.

there is always the argument that if you don't have
anything to hide, then why should you be concerned - and
argument that extends, in the extreme, to the idea that
really we should all live in glass houses. it is becoming
clear to me that many (indeed most) people buy into this
argument, hook line and sinker.

as for myself, i have had enough of battling the system.
certainly, a society where privacy is eliminated (or at
least curtailed) is a 'safer' society, where criminals are
thwarted with nowhere to hide. this safety seems to be what
the majority of society wants, at any cost. to this end i
have been designing an ID/tracking system centred around
the RF ID tags being developed by these guys:
http://www.autoidcenter.org/main.asp
my new motto - if you can't beat 'em, join 'em.

imagine a society where everyone has a plastic card with an
embedded RF ID tag - you always carry your card with you as
you need it to open the front door, start your car, buy
your groceries, etc. now on every street corner there will
be a card reader, that notes your passing (the autoID tags
have about a 2 metre range). and every car number plate
will also contain an RF ID tag, every gun and every
cellphone. crime will become impossible, as the state will
always know where (almost) everyone is.

we will all live in peace and harmony, an enforced peace
and harmony. a virtual eutopia!

regards,
robert rozee
christchurch, new zealand

"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little
temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety" -
Benjamin Franklin. i agree 100%, and shall proceed
accordingly  :-)




From: Bede
For : The Editor (for publication)
Subj: robert rozee

Hey honeywell has just such a system, they are installing
it in the new auckland hospital,

all medical instruments and trollys will have inbedded id
chips with an inbuilt battery.
the doors and hallways can locate where you are in the hospital
open doors and get lifts setup for you if your in an emergancy

also apparently theres a problem where by other parts of the
hospital "borrow" other parts medical equipment as well as
things like trollys chair.




From: Bede
For : The Editor (for publication)
Subj: telecom - telstra clear

why should telecom open up its network when
telstra and clear(bt) have next to no intention of ever
opening up there home networks,

maybe telecom should meet telstra clear at each service they
open up in there home networks.




From: Ian
For : The Editor (for publication)
Subj: Postcards

Those who tell you that privacy should not be a concern
ought to have their bank statements sent to them on
postcards.




From: Rob K
For : The Editor (for publication)
Subj: Live Free or Die...

The classic expression, "Live Free or Die..." has new
meaning.

I have chosen to live free.  That means that I do NOT give
up my rights to safety.  I have chosen the right to defend
myself.  That is where many people go their separate ways.
To what extent can you defend yourself (and your family)?

Privacy and safety go hand in hand.  At some point, we're
either citizens (government by the people) or subjects (to
be ruled).

Rob K
Ft Bragg, NC
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