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[- Privacy
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By TreborScholz, Section Filter It Yourself!
Posted on Tue Apr 22nd, 2003 at 01:43:54 PM EURODISCORDIA TIME
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Today I received an e.mail that alarmed many of my friends. There it says that "four major credit bureaus in the US will be allowed, starting July 1, to release your credit info, mailing addresses, phone numbers, etc., to anyone who requests it." The author of the e.mail then asks us to call a number to voice our discontent. There are many more forms of productive discontent in relation to the invasion of privacy starting with the web initiative Boycottdelta.org that points to the fact that Delta Airlines introduces intrusive background checks including credit checks for everybody boarding their planes in certain airports.
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This received the attention of Salon.com and the the Washinton Post among others.
Written in April it says: "Delta Airlines Treats Americans like Terrorists. Starting later this month, Delta passengers will be asked a lot more than `window or aisle', or whether you want that `special meal'. Delta wants to know more: a lot more. As a pilot test of a new Orwellian airline `security' program, Delta will be running background checks on anyone who flies Delta from one of three as-yet undisclosed airports."
Apart from Boycottdelta.org there is also Privacy.org, a joint project of The Electronic Privacy Information Center and Privacy International. I'm curious if there are other projects, online or off, facing up to this massive invasion of privacy? In Privacy Won't Help Us (Fight Surveillance) Felix Stalder and Jesse Hirsh argue that the main concern about privacy should be transparency: we should know what makes up our data body, who exactly has access to it and what are the repercussions for us if, for instance, the information is incorrect. Surely, as someone who flies frequently I am disturbed by all this. What about you?
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