Big Brother is Watching You But Isn't Terribly Interested

Facebook recently informed me that they were concerned for my privacy and made various suggestions to help protect it which was nice of them.  I would have been more impressed if they hadn't followed this up by suggesting I add topics to my facebook posts, suggested (disturbingly accurate) topic names when I didn't and then showed a frightening awareness as to my physical location.  If nothing else they have succeeded in convincing me that possibly my privacy does need protecting.

I intend to protect my privacy in the following manner, I will stop thinking about it.  There is an old joke which goes something like this; 
Q: What's the difference between a police state and a normal state?
A:  In a police state you know you're being watched.

The simple fact of the matter is that anyone who thinks they have complete privacy or anonymity is almost certainly wrong.  The amount of available, personal data floating about is so vast that you really would need to be living in a cave on Venus to be completely anonymous.  People think this is a function of the internet but really all the internet did is make things easier.  The internet doesn't really do anything, its essentially a high tech filing cabinet that anyone can access.  If you put personal information into the filing cabinet (and almost everyone does) then, theoretically at least, somebody else can pull it out.

So how do we manage to get by knowing that our personal details (and browser histories) are pretty much available to anyone with a bit of effort.  We deal with it in two ways.  Firstly; we don't think about it, not much anyway and usually not at all until someone goes to the effort of bringing the situation to our attention (ie by stealing our identity, siphoning our bank account or arresting us for what really was a harmless little joke involving some semtex and the US president).  As a means of protecting our privacy not thinking about the fact that we don't have any is actually remarkably effective.  We are assisted in this endeavour by the fact that most of those invading our privacy have a vested interest in not letting us realise it, thus they tend to be discreet.  Think about it like this, having a stalker go through your underwear drawer sniffing various items is absolutely harmless and uncreepy until you find out about it at which point it becomes deeply disturbing.  Facebook really did blot the copybook by pointing out to me exactly how close an eye they keep on me.

The second protection we have is quite simply the fact that almost none of us are as important as we think we are.  It honestly doesn't matter how much personal information of yours is floating around cyberspace.  The sad fact is, nobody actually gives a crap.  This isn't true for everyone of course but it is sufficiently true for a sufficiently large number of people to make those for whom it isn't true a statistical anomaly that can be safely ignored (unless of course you are the person who's life has been destroyed as a result).  There is so much information out there that even with the aid of the internet gathering it all together would be quite an effort.  Can you name six people you could be arsed doing that for?  I can't.

Which brings me to my final point.  It isn't facebook or corporations or governments that you really have to worry about (unless you are a terrorist or something).  All of those entities will gather as much information on you as they feel they need but they won't tell you and it probably doesn't have to bother you too much.  This is called rational ignorance although I prefer the term proactive laziness.  So who does go to all of that effort and then use the information gathered to ruin your life.  I'll tell you.  The mother of the child your kid got into an argument with at daycare, she'll do it.  The bloke you cut off in traffic, he'll do it.  The boyfriend/girlfriend/non gender specific partner paradigm that perhaps you didn't break up with as nicely as you could have, they'll do it.  In short the people most likely to invade your privacy are people you already know.

Meanwhile in national capitals and corporate headquarters around the world a fat file with your name on it is being filed under the heading "Who gives a toss?"