"D Peter Maus" wrote in message
...


Well, you start by not trading it for convenience. You follow that up by
placing sharp restrictions on what information may be gathered and what
may be done with it.

And you wrap things up by keeping your business YOUR business.

So many times, European information gathering practices are cited,
especially by businesses wishing to gather information about it's patrons,
potential patrons, or people walking by in front of the store. What's NOT
cited is the enormous firewall between gathered information and it's
dissemination. What we do with gathered information, today is obscene. And
though the government may not, itself, gather information about citizens,
it MAY, according to recent court decisions, access privately gathered
information, virtually at will. So there are business that do nothing but
gather, collate and disseminate personal information gathered about US
citizens. Usually through credit card transactions, EZ Pass movements, and
cell phone activities. All of this information is then accessible, with a
friendly judge, to the government. In the case of TelCo's, all that's
needed is that someone ask.

This is obscene.

But we allow it 1) for our own convenience, and 2) because we believe
that 'if you have nothing to hide...' Few ever consider the possibility of
abuse. Until they someone takes their house.

Careful, there, Peter... you'll have someone calling you a liberal crybaby
k00k.