Slowly Losing Our Privacy

As I struggle to get the wonderful system of Blogger Labels managed I discovered something interesting during my morning news run through. It is actually not new as it is a seven year old project, but there are certain government officials working to move forward on an electronic license plate for vehicles that would connect wirelessly to the DMV to help them (and the police) with various compliance related to vehicles, registration, and insurance. Among other things. Is it just me or is this going a bit too far? Or maybe it is not. Maybe it is just part of the natural progression of our technology.

The Wonders Of The Modern World

There is no doubt about it, we live during a wonderful time. The technology that we use everyday in our mobile devices keeps us connected to family, friends, and work anywhere we go in the world. We can turn on the lights in our living room from across the ocean or record the latest episode of our favorite shows from the same distance. We have wanted this type of convenience for decades. We dreamed about things like this becoming possible and it wasn't until this very generation that it came true.

Of course, with any type of rapid growth or change there is always going to be a few growing pains. There will always be certain people who are not happy with the way things are working out or some that are worried about things becoming too easy. But for the most part it seems that the world is generally happy with the way our society is progressing. Everybody seems to be cheering on the Google's and Intel's of the world. Just look at how readily people have taken to saving their private information on the "Cloud".

If everyone is so happy with the way technology has been changing our world and way of life, then why is it that when something that encroaches on our private lives it is such a shock to people? In my opinion there is always going to be a certain amount of privacy that you have to be prepared to protect or hide if you want to have many of the modern conveniences that we have been enjoying of late. It other words these things go hand in hand. You cannot have something that stores all your private information on a system that is accessed by everybody and expect to not have some sort of safeguards protecting each person. Yet, as logical as you would think that statement is, there are people who are caught off guard by those same safeguards and complain when they are locked out because they forgot their password.

 The Line Has Been Drawn - So Why Is It So Hard To See?

The short and simple answer is because in a way, people want the technology because it makes them feel safe. It is a case of I want it to catch those who break the law but I do not want it to bother me. But we all know that nothing in this world is simple. By this point you must be wondering what the tech is this time that is stirring up the hornet nest. Well, I'll tell you and trust me. When you find out what it is you might find yourself quickly becoming part of that group above who wants the tech for all the right reasons but when you consider how it might affect you personally your opinion might change.

Reading an article this morning on a site called  CO.EXIST by Stan Alcorn  brings all of this to light. He describes a project that Brian Bannister a former Department of Motor Vehicles computer systems architect and a former Carolina DMV administrator David Findlay have worked on to electronically link our license plates to the local DMV and state government. At first it might sound like a great idea. Just another piece of our daily lives that is getting the good old technology update. But when you review the details and consider where some of this might be heading you start to wonder if it is worth it.

We have all concerned ourselves with the potential loss of privacy because of technology at some point. As the days, weeks, years go by new technology is developed and some of that technology  slowly chips away at what privacy we have left. Cell phones track our every move. Security cameras and red light cameras can find us almost anywhere on the streets. The advances in data mining and tracking allow us to be followed by how and where we shop. It is increasingly difficult to live "off the grid" in today's world. Yet, to a certain degree we invite this so-called invasion of privacy into our lives.

Is All Of This Our Fault?

No matter how technologically ignorant someone is, or how naive someone might be when it comes to modern electronic devices, everyone should have a general idea that we are "watched" or "findable" at any one point during our day. Even though this is the case, people still bring the devices that make this possible into their lives. For example, a person wants to buy a new cell phone. This person is well aware that any information saved on the phone may potentially not be as private as hoped. They also know that the GPS chip will allow them to be found at any time if the phone is with them. Basically, they are fully aware that the phone itself can almost be considered a beacon letting everybody know where this person is. Even though all this is true (albeit a bit extreme) this person in question will still purchase the cell phone and use it everyday for various personal and private reasons.

So we accept the fact that we are not alone. We acknowledge that our privacy is not as private as it should be. Of course we do, because trying to live any other way at this point would almost be too hard. We have to accept that we are living in a world that is increasingly losing its privacy. So is this project with the electronically linked license plates just the next logical step? Our cars are already connected to the grid. We carry electronic devices in our pockets or purses almost everywhere we go that could be used to track our every move. Let's face it, there is almost nowhere to hide if we wanted to.

We want it though, don't we? With all the convenience that technology has brought into our lives, would anybody want to go back to how things were maybe ten or twenty years ago? I don't think I have heard anybody say that they miss the 1990's because they loved having to use a pay phone. Or they missed living in a time in which most computers sat on desks, and laptops were about as effective as a calculator. People love the technology that we have today. It makes their lives much easier and allows them to get ten times the amount of work done as before.

People might not want to lose what they have gotten so used to, but they should at least educate themselves on the way things work. The best way to make sure that your private information is safe is to understand how the devices and safeguards work. OK, but what if there are no safeguards? Like in the license plate project, there is just a plate. An electronic plate that sits on the back of your car transmitting data to various agencies. Unfortunately there is not much you can do except keep a very close eye on it.

 Are We Safe? What If Someone Gets Our Information?

The company that is developing the technology states that the plates will be given a number that will be tied in with the car's registered owner. The company that handles the data transmission and plate manufacturing/programming will only have this number and no way to connect the number with the actual person. The DMV however will have software that gets this number and connects the dots (behind the scenes) only giving the DMV officials the information that they need at the time. So basically they are trying to say that the tech is safe and no one can get your information.

Keeping our sensitive information safe has been an ongoing struggle for many during the technology age. For the most part, as long as people use common sense and do not do anything stupid like give out their social security number to the wrong person they are safe. No matter how careful you might be however, does not stop things that are beyond your control from causing you trouble. Things like your credit card company getting hacked, you may have nothing to do with it but you are still the potential victim of a crime. This happens all the time and what if it happens with the license plates in question?

It does not matter how closely guarded the information is or how they encrypt it either. The point is that data, no matter what it is can always be vulnerable. The things that are beyond your control cannot be helped and the best thing you can do is make sure that you know who to call and what to do should something happen. For example, if someone gets your information from the electronic plates say ten years from now, the best thing you can do for yourself is be aware.

You should always keep an eye on your credit cards and bank statements. Your cell phone records and vehicle registration. Basically the more that you are in control of your finances and personal data, the faster you will be able to respond if something goes wrong. If your information is taken from the proposed license plates project in the future, chances are they are taking it to be able to use your identity. So if you notice things happening with your credit or finances that is not your doing you can call the proper authorities right away. The faster you report things like this the faster it can be resolved.

The world that we live in is truly a wonderful place. We have more available to us today than people ever have. The more we have however the more likely we are to lose it. We should never take for granted the ability of criminals either. They can be just as advanced and knowledgeable as anybody else. Criminals are not the only concern that we have either. Day by day it seems we are losing little pieces of our privacy and sometimes it seems as if there is no end to it. If you don't want the government or anybody else getting involved in your lives then let them know. Get involved and become aware of the issues and the proposals that officials make. You might be surprised at times just how much they want to do.