Right to Privacy

Today I did a little internet research on Disney’s ‘biometrics’ admission practices – sort of an 'after effect' of my trip – and found quite a discussion about privacy issues. It seems that Disney has found a way to ensure that customers who purchase season passes cannot transfer their passes to someone else – by scanning the first two digits of the right hand and loading that ‘geometric’ profile onto the pass card. There is a small enough chance of two people having the same two-finger profile for this to be good ‘card security’ for them – so they say. Is this another case of “little by little… until it is so big it can’t be stopped?” Do we want Disney collecting even this information? The general consensus was that it probably isn’t a big deal – just takes people by surprise and makes them think twice about going again! But still…

When I was growing up, through the duck-under-your-school-desk-and-cover-your-head School of Thought on Nuclear Attacks in the Cold War (today's version is duct tape,) I heard often of the plight of the Russian people under Communist rule who always had to stop at check points and provide their official ‘documents’ to the authorities on the rare occasion that they were actually allowed to travel. (Was that in James Bond movies?) It was depicted as a ‘near thing’ every time – much could be wrong with your papers, or some new rule might be violated in some unknown way. You'd be hauled off to rot in political prison for the rest of your life. Somehow that had a strong effect on me.

I’ve been uncomfortable for years about steps we take to ‘ensure national security.’ Having to provide ‘travel documents’ when I fly a commercial airline bothers me deep down. I want my anonymity back. I’d like to drive down the road without traffic cameras recording my progress or my cell phone tracking my location or ‘On-Star’ calling me to see if I need an oil change because my odometer just went over another 1000 mark. I don’t like it that my doctor won’t treat me unless I give her my social security number, or that ChoicePoint can sell all my personal data to crooks just because they can collect it in the first place.

The medical profession thinks it would be just swell if we’d all have ‘chips’ implanted with our medical histories. And child protection agencies recommend that we fingerprint our children in case they are ever lost or kidnapped. My husband’s work place has security cameras in every hall and meeting room – who are they looking for? In the name of workplace safety we’re asked to pee in a cup, get fingerprinted, authorize personal credit checks. We're even willing to be searched to go to a baseball game! Are we still paying attention?

"It’s all for our own good." Each little step up of security is just a little invasion of our privacy and our rights, and who could complain about it, really, in the face of the threat or the fear or the ‘whatever.’

When will we have gone too far? Certainly when it is too late to turn it all back.