Time is what keeps everything from happening at once - Karamazov Brothers
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Americans need to change the definition of privacy
A TOP US government spook has suggested that the country's population might feel a bit better about life if they changed their definition of 'privacy'.
Donald Kerr, the principal deputy director of national intelligence, said that many Americans think that privacy is being left alone and being anonymous.
This leads to them suffering all sorts of stress when they hear that the government is eavesdropping on them and reading their emails.
Kerr things it would be far better if Americans, for their own health, changed the meaning of the word privacy.
He said it was not practical for privacy to mean anonymity. He said people would feel better if it meant something like "government and businesses properly safeguard people's private communications and financial information".
His comments come as Congress is taking a second look at the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.
He said that he finds punters concerns that the government may be listening to their phone conversations, odd when people are perfectly willing for a green-card holder at an ISP, who may or may have not have been an illegal entrant to the United States, to handle their data. While he is tinkering with the English language he might want to also change his definition of xenophobia or racism to make himself feel better.
Kerr said that millions of people in this country have surrendered anonymity to social networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook, and to Internet commerce.
He added that protecting anonymity isn't a fight that can be won. Particularly when Kerr is on the case it seems. µ
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Funny that, it worked fine right up until 2001.
Maybe what he actually meant was "protecting anonymity isn't a fight that can be won while Bush & Co are in the White House".
Yeah, that I can believe.
is this definition to apply to US government as well, or are they excluded for not having a myspace/facebook page? i don't have a myspace/facebook page, may i sign up for government-level privacy as well?
i spose i should watch what i say, i don't want my government to be angry with me while they are just trying to 'protect' me and keep me oh so warm and safe from the foreign guy working for my internet service provider.
fox news!! let me bend over for you!
They should change these words also while they are busy:
like Freedom, Liberty etc.

Freedom: "Surviving in an environment controlled by those with the most money."
This will, no doubt, be a product of the same school of thought that redefines "torture".
Maybe changing the following terms will make life in the states more mental health friendly as well:

Most of the text found in the Bill of Rights and the Constitution
Freedom of Speech
Illegal search and Seizure
Presidential Powers
Terrorism
WMD

and to make life easier in 2008

Free and fair elections

My mental health would be so much improved by these changes. And btw improved now means 'made worse'.



In a way, wouldn't being anonymous give one the ultimate in privacy? If no one knows you are there, much less who you are, I would say that you can't have much more privacy than that.

"Kerr said that millions of people in this country have surrendered anonymity to social networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook, and to Internet commerce."
...and just because "millions" have done it, that means it's ok? Maybe those "millions" do not care about their privacy.

Hats off to the whitehouse for finding these people, because they certainly find and hire the cream of the crop..
I wonder if we ever hear about their scouts that look for such glorious examples of humankind, because it's in its own way a fascinating thing, you have to find people that spout such views AND make sure they aren't kidding or being sarcastic.


You know, there used to be a joke in the good old days of communist Soviet Union

"Half the Commies are spies and informants"
"Oh Yeah ? Who do they spy on ?"
"The Other Half"

Now with the advent of computer technology, far fewer people are needed for spying. And all those displaced spies and informants instead go and vote for totalitarian regimes that implement this policy.
Orwell was indeed prescient.