One of the areas that is facing particular challenge as the fourth communication revolution unfolds is privacy. While users of social networking sites can suffer privacy infringements, it is the capacity (which has increased dramatically in recent years) for businesses and governments to accumulate personal data that presents the most serious challenge, I believe.
Whether it is Google Street View vehicles collecting data from unsecured Wi-Fi connections or governments apparently intent on collecting more and more personal data often without the individual’s knowledge, privacy is under threat as never before.
The UK Coalition Government’s recent policy reversals on medical Summary Care Records and the Orwellian sounding Interception Modernisation Programme are just two areas of government policy that should sound a warning to those who value privacy.
The Australian government’s recent proposal for data retention of phone calls and internet traffic will also need to be exposed to detailed public scrutiny before we can be sure that individuals’ privacy is not compromised.
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