Foot: You're Leaving a Digital Trail

This article really made me think about what we read in "Little Brother." Especially when it said, "It also noticed that middle-income people — as determined by ZIP code data — tended to order cabs more often just before market downturns." I remember that everyone carried around a card that was able to track every where they went and see a pattern, or a change in pattern. If this is what's starting to happen now, we might be seeing a world like that of "Little Brother" with gas at $7 a gallon. 


I think the technological jump in the last decade has been crazy. We went from huge computers and phone, to basically a handheld all-in-one device. I don't know that it's a bad idea to track what people do, for the purpose of business, but I do think people are entitled to their privacy. The article says, "Even though we are protecting the information, it is still subject to subpoena and subject to bullying bosses or spouses." I don't think it's a safe project if anyone can get their hands on the information. I think that it should be more protected, and if someone doesn't want to be a part of the study they should have the option to opt out and not have their information monitored.


 


Here is another article that makes me think we are living in a world like "Little Brother," even though Google says what they were doing was a "mistake."