The Future of Privacy: An American point of view

As I land back in the US, there is a great read on newsstands across the nation at the mo discussing the future of privacy. The latest copy of “Scientific American Magazine” is dedicated to such topics as:

• Do Social Networks Bring the End of Privacy?
  Young people share the most intimate details of personal life on social-networking Web sites, such as MySpace and Facebook, portending a realignment of the public and the private
• Data Fusion: The Ups and Downs of All-Encompassing Digital Profiles
  Mashing everyone’s personal data, from credit card bills to cell phone logs, into one all-encompassing digital dossier is the stuff of an Orwellian nightmare. But it is not as easy as most people assume
• How RFID Tags Could Be Used to Track Unsuspecting People
  A privacy activist argues that the devices pose new security risks to those who carry them, often unwittingly

It is great to see these topics coming to the light across the pond. I love the US for their sheer open passion. It would seem where as the US talks, the UK does – with the viewpoint of easier to ask for forgiveness later, should anyone seem to mind. As an Englishman I am continually aware that UK is one of the key-test beds for a lot of this technology, relying on the sleepiness of the nation to at best moan down the pub should they even realise, whilst politicians and technologists can press on with their Orwellian goals without any seemingly open discussion or fear of backlash…