Yeah. I was sitting on the toilet in wal mart yesterday taking a dump and i noticed a potty cam in the damn thing! It was being broadcast around the world via the internet!

Yep.

I was pumping a hot sales girl at Victoria’s Secret the other day when I was buying my wife some panties.

They got it all on tape. It probably hit the internet. I want my due royalties.

I’m not aware of the issues you brought up with Microsoft etc., but these government agencies work under very strict guidelines as a matter of law. That doesn’t mean it’s going to be perfect but still there is not one case of abuse of this authority that has reached any court that I’m aware of. Also, remember that in reality Americans DO NOT have a right to privacy, there is no such thing enumerated in the Constitution. There are certain protections granted through statutory law, but there is not an over-arching Constitutional protection.

What right to privacy??? I mean that’s like saying as Americans that we can own property, Yeah right! You don’t own real estate you rent it from the government through taxes. If ya don’t beleive it just try staying on your private property after not paying property taxes for three years!!! I mean your very own urine can be taken from you for a variety of trumped up reasons from many different agencies of the U.S. federal/state/county local municipalities government. Right to privacy, where have you been!!!! Play it safe vote Libertarian instead of for the democratic republican party.

Yes it Is. With all the wiretapping, email reading, tss. I mean i do support the determent of illegal activities.

Not just the govt, but what the f*ck, even major companies nowadays sell our info, so we get about 15 letters a week telling us that were pre-approved for visa, amex,disc, etc. It gets tiring to shred that much mail(argh). Also when one surfs the net, others are trying to tap, and hack into our networks? What he heck drives people and orgs, to be so nosy?

People here in the Philippines have the same concerns, specially after a wire-tapped message of our President casted doubts on her legitimacy i.e. when she purportedly gave instructions to an election officer during election period via long-distance call.

The solution really lies in the law, but the problem is the willingness of the highly technical experts to assist in framing the legislation required. The law is insufficient (our wire-tapping act here have substantially the same provisions as most US pieces of legislation) because the realm it tries to simplify is really a complex world which geniuses like Bill Gates et al only understand. Is a document typed in MS Word documentary evidence? Can a disk copy of a material that violates our right to privacy be treated as a document when presented in court for such a case? How can we be certain of the author? If Tony types the document in Eric’s computer, how certain are we that Eric had nothing to do with Tony’s act? Are there codes embedded in these programs which would definitely identify who the culprit/s is/are, or should we rely on presumptions? In our example, is Eric the presumed author of the contested document?

To address these concerns, the congressmen of our nations should stop drooling and politicking and instead utilize their funds to pay for the expert advise of IT geniuses in drafting the laws. Until that day comes, the net will remain the most democratic medium, democracy at its purest and basest.

Privacy is the ability of an individual or group to keep their lives and personal affairs out of public view, or to control the flow of information about themselves. Privacy is sometimes related to anonymity although it is often most highly valued by people who are publicly known. Privacy can be seen as an aspect of security—one in which trade-offs between the interests of one group and another can become particularly clear.

Ever go to a store and they ask for your Zip code? A person’s zip code can identify income, type of family life as well as purchasing habits. As soon someone decides to make a phone call, connect to the Internet or purchase something, demographic information such as age, sex, ethnicity, education, political leanings and income are electronically collected and compiled into various databases from several different companies and from that information, reports are prepared for all kinds of companies including retail stores, telemarketers and even the government. These reports show where a target group of people are, where they shop, what they buy, how they vote, number of kids, if they have pets but they also anticipate what the needs and wants will be in the future.

In today’s world the right to complete privacy is gone, not at the hand of the government but at the hand of commerce. We only have privacy, though limited with those interactions that are not electronic.

yes

No, your rights haven’t gone, but Americans are becoming more gutless and sheepish by the day because they are accepting the fraud perpetrated by this government. Give up your rights for security is their message.

Fortunately, they can’t change the constitution, and that is what ultimately gives us our rights.

Microsoft has always had some access to your computer if you use Windows; but they can’t see/do much with the system - they can’t for example read your email or your documents.

The FBI may be able to, if they can either convince you to install some innocent-looking ‘free’ program that you download from a website (like the music sharing programs - Limewire/Lemonwire for example) or if they can gain access to your computer and install it themselves.

If you don’t install dubious software, there’s not much anyone can do to access your computer remotely.

I have been a computer specialist for over 30 years - I’d know if anyone was interfering with my computers, or the computers of any of my clients. Although I’ve found occasional attacks on individual machines, I’ve never seen anything going on with Akamai or other companies like that. Akamai is an aggregator, and as such, they work with government agencies and businesses world wide.

I think that people who willingly vacate their right to privacy assuming they will gain some security in exchange, deserve to be exploited, or have their basic privacy abused, because they asked for it.

For the rest of us, who would like to maintain some sort of privacy, that it is regularly abused, or violated for profit, by deceit, or under false pretenses, have the right to mourn the loss. People don’t seem to grasp what a bad thing it is every time the government willfully violates our privacy, whether it was done illegally, or legally through unconstitutional laws passed by those wanting to exploit, or control us, and yet keep getting re-elected.

While it sad, and wrong that we just have to assume that we can’t trust anyone with private information anymore. You can minimize the out your privacy gets violated by educating yourself, unless you never own a computer/phone/credit card/subscription to any publication/buy a car/work/go to school/marry/and most other normal modern life activities, you have left records, or given your information to people who don’t actually care about protecting it, and so should expect it will be misused.

If you use any form of communication, except face to face speech, you must assume it may be accessed by one or more law enforcement/intelligence organization, and even if not the intended focus of their attention, might make yourself one by saying anything which admits guilt, or intent to commit an illegal act.

Basically, I think our constitution is on its last couple of breaths, the ways things look today. Rights are being curtailed, or suspended, on the grounds of the catch all excuse, for national security reasons. National security is what the government deems it is.