On Sat, 2014-02-08 at 20:30 +0000, Adrian Midgley wrote:
> declaring they did not wish to have their records uploaded to the
> central server or sold-on from there
I find myself in a quandary over this issue. Clare Gerada writes quite
forcefully in today's Times saying that it is our moral duty not to opt
out.
As a GP of Very Little Brain I think of two reasons why one might want
to opt-out.
1. Anonymity may be broken either by (a) deduction from several pieces
of data, (b) incompetence (data loss, cracking attack), or (c)
deliberate release to authorised people (Mr Policeman Plod, etc).
2. The idea of intimate information about oneself being sold
commercially is abhorrent.
Those of us who use Facebook or Google products evidently see no problem
with no. 2, but Aunty Flo may feel differently. Although Aunty Flo, with
her keen idea of duty, might sympathise with Clare Gerada's view.
So to my mind the main problem is number 1. Should I be terribly worried
about accidental (or deliberate) disclosure, or just accept that there
is no longer any such thing as privacy and get over it? And are there
other issues that I have simplistically ignored?
Mike
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Michael Leuty
Nottingham, UK
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