Privacy as a Commodity

[bill.stewart@pleasantonca.ncr.com +1-510-484-6204]

Brian Beker writes:
> is an appropriate level of privacy?  When that question is formed on the
> basis of "What have you got to hide?" it takes on the aspect of
> accusation.  And yet, that is precisely the question posed by our
> government as it leads the cheers for the good, right-thinking folk who
> know that only the guilty, only the criminally insane could ever feel the 
> overwhelming need for absolute privacy. 

Of course, the organization asking us "Why on earth would you want privacy,
when we can run your lives so much better if we know everything you're doing?"
is the same organization that splits up its information into categories like
SECRET, TOP SECRET, ULTRA, BURN BEFORE READING, WNINTEL, RESTRICTED DATA,
FORMERLY RESTRICTED DATA, NO FOREIGN NATIONALS, FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY.....

			Cynically,  Bill