Many people are concerned that technology and the Internet are eroding our personal privacy. The video below is the ACLU's slant on what it might be like to order a pizza in the near future. Fasten your seat belts... it's going to be a bumpy ride!
Now we all hope that this level of scrutiny doesn't happen but my local pizza parlor already tracks orders by phone number. So when I call they usually have a pretty good guess about what I'm going to order. At least they don't have access to my medical records, library records, and magazine subscription information... yet. But with all this information in databases, it is theoretically possible to consolidate it all at the pizza parlor.
Fortunately, the privacy of medical records is protected by law. But say the local pizza parlor did run a coupon in Men's Health magazine. They could buy the list of local subscribers from the magazine and integrate it into their database that is keyed off of caller ID. Then they would be able to mention the coupon to callers who subscribed to Men's Health. It presents interesting possibilities.
Discussion Questions for Students:
1) What types of personal information would you feel comfortable with a merchant (like a pizza parlor) having about you? What types of information would you never want revealed to retailers?
2) What is your position on a national ID card (or the REAL ID)? Is preventing terrorism worth giving up some personal privacy rights?
3) Should personal medical information be more readily available if it could be used to protect your health? Would you feel comfortable with a server at a restaurant recommending healthy food choices based on your medical history?
No comments:
Post a Comment