Grand Overseer

Regarding the very prominent privacy commentary lately, I couldn't have put it better than Mr. Pinion did in his blog posting "The Cost of Anonymity." While I admittedly resign to the fact that my data is being collected and catalogued and I protest that fact very infrequently (I like having an iPhone way too much), it does cause my hairs to raise on end when I imagine the possibility that all of that data could be held against me in the future—for whatever cause. We have a right to privacy, and I think it's horribly sad that we can't enjoy the benefits of having the Internet and cool gadgets without signing our names in blood and accepting the terms of having our every action recorded.

But it's not only about the gadgets. It's in human nature to feel a little creeped out when you know you're being spied on. This is supposed to be a country of freedom. We should be able to do what we want (within reason) without feeling like there's a Grand Overseer watching our every move. I think the government has crossed the threshold of necessary prying. True, the data analysis may be useful for preventing crimes from taking place, but there's a certain limit to divination that we as humans should just accept. Perhaps we should make an amendment for fixing our nation's "Cruel and Unusual Peeping Problem?"