How Reasonable Are Your Expecations?

The 2003 edition of the international Privacy and Human Rights survey produced by Privacy International and the Electronic Privacy Information Center has been released.

Comments

[Tom from Texas]

Kevin,

Licensing of journalists was a big water cooler discussion item when I started in newspapers back in 1980. The theory was that you would be licensed to show that you worked for a "legitimate" news organ (who could have imagined a blog at that time?).

I actually thought the idea might have some merit when I was covering a KKK rally and happened to look closely at the Texas Department of Public Safety press badge that a fellow "reporter" was wearing. Turns out he worked for a Klan magazine. At the time the DPS would issue anyone a press ID who filled out the right forms and submitted a request on a legitimate-looking company letterhead.

[Tom from Texas]

Not to stoke the flames of paranoia, but do you ever wonder if hospitals, your doctor, etc. really just disposes of any samples you give/they take?

Some years back we were in a fertility program and while the problem clearly was with my wife, the clinic still wanted a "sample" from me just to rule out that I was infertile. They called a couple of days later and told me that not only was my specimen in fine shape, they would like to keep and use it as a control sample or something like that, and would I give my permission? Young, stupid and flattered, I said yes.

Now I wonder......

[nm156]

I learned from my local talk radio station that the feds up here want a national DNA database with samples from every citizen to be provided. The scary thing was not the proposal itself, but how many people who actually thought this was a GOOD idea. Warren posted a few weeks ago that he would have to impose a moratorium on his Canada-bashing. Sadly, I may have to start.

[Kevin Carson]

nm156,

I saw an article in "In These Times" in 1999, about a poll that said a majority of Americans supported a licensing system for journalists, to make sure they were "fair and balanced." So I'm not surprised at anything I hear from the sheeple.

Of course, a lot of it has to do with the answers the poll is designed to get, and the way the questions are asked. I hope that explains these horrible results, and that if the questions were asked a different way people would say "Hell, no!" But it's still a shame that only people who are critical, contrarian, or ideologically committed enough to know their own minds, are capable of resisting the slanting of these things.