Your Privacy: A Thing of the Past? |

As of this Month, Google has switched to its new privacy policy. The fact has been announced for weeks leading up to the switch every time you logged into your gmail, youtube, blogger or any other google account. The long and the short of it is that these services have all been brought under one policy. This doesn't change the fact that your searching, your shopping, your video preferences and whatever else you do while logged into a google account allow this company to compile more and more information about more and more people than any legitimate business has ever been able to previously.

Also on the subject of privacy, Federal Minister Vic Toews has found himself facing harsh criticism after he suggested that privacy advocates opposing a current crime omnibus bill were on the side of the very worst elements in our society.

Though elsewhere it seems a significant number of Canadians have offered qualified support for the same bill.

Is it reasonable to expect that you can maintain some semblance of privacy on the internet? Underappreciated comedian Robert Fulford has joked that because hackers can illegally access your secrets, you might as well let the government and the authorities do it legally and without any pesky warrants!

Obviously in an age of internet banking' shopping and online library use, there must be a reasonable expectation of confidentiality between a service and its patrons. But is there anyone else who needs to know? Is it fair to say a person who has nothing to hide has nothing to fear? Many people will tell you that all hope of privacy is lost, but if I didn't want you to make any effort in the first place, that's probably what I'd say too!

Here are a few more thoughts and tips which I hope you will find constructive.

Facebook and Twitter have policies, but not honouring a policy is hardly breaking the law.
Sure it's convenient but do you need to be constantly logged in to your Google account?
Sure it's a different country but knowing what you want out of legislation is wise wherever you may be.

Recommended Reading
I Know Who You Are And I Saw What You Did by Lori Andrews