The State To Web Users: "Nobody Gets To Track You... Except Us"

[JakeStratham]

One of the blunt instruments of our slave-masters has issued this press release. From the release:

The Federal Trade Commission, the nation’s chief privacy policy and enforcement agency for 40 years, issued a preliminary staff report today that proposes a framework to balance the privacy interests of consumers with innovation that relies on consumer information to develop beneficial new products and services. The proposed report also suggests implementation of a “Do Not Track” mechanism – likely a persistent setting on consumers’ browsers – so consumers can choose whether to allow the collection of data regarding their online searching and browsing activities.

And in case you don't think the FTC has our best interests in mind:

“Technological and business ingenuity have spawned a whole new online culture and vocabulary – email, IMs, apps and blogs – that consumers have come to expect and enjoy. The FTC wants to help ensure that the growing, changing, thriving information marketplace is built on a framework that promotes privacy, transparency, business innovation and consumer choice. We believe that’s what most Americans want as well,” said FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz.

And:

Leibowitz added that the FTC, in addition to making policy recommendations, “will take action against companies that cross the line with consumer data and violate consumers’ privacy – especially when children and teens are involved.”

While this is only a proposal, it is building steam, as noted here. From the NYT article:

Some Democrats in the House and the Senate, however, have already embraced the idea of a do-not-track mechanism. On Thursday, Representative Ed Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat, said he would introduce a bill that would put in place such a system to prevent the tracking of children using the Internet.

Meanwhile, this will not surprise any of you:

Proposal Could Expand Government's Web Wiretapping Efforts | PBS NewsHour | Sept. 27, 2010 | PBS

From the PBS piece:

It's story that pits secrecy vs. privacy.The New York Times reported this morning that the Obama administration is drafting legislative proposals that would make more of the Internet open to court-ordered wiretaps.That could include currently encrypted e-mails, possibly social networking Web sites like Facebook, and Web phone conversations on services like Skype.The reported proposals have raised concerns among privacy advocates.

Summary:

The State doesn't want anyone to track you, except the State. And they're going to keep coercing private companies to help make it happen. To those of you who vote, well done.

 

[Jon]

I happen to like and respect Jon Leibowitz a lot, and in person, he's really a solid guy.

With that said, the FTC operates just like many other US Federal Agencies, they want as much jurisdiction and control as they can possibly get their hands on. It also usually translates into lots more +rep on their street cred and awe from their peers, increased budgets, salary increases (many times), +rep on ego, and sometimes an easier way to leap frog up the food chain or land a high paying corporate gig in the private sector.

I think the Do Not Track is a good idea, although its not perfect and so long as its able to adapt quickly to the changes on here, with the interests of the people its made to protect for the most part, then it should be successful. However, this is the internet we're talking about, and I know for a fact that Leibowitz is aware of the toes he's stepping on with his iron fist campaigns as of late, but he's a lot more on the ball than most people give him credit for.

I'm 100% all for a free and unregulated internet. But just like anything that has to do with freedom and people, the bigger and more powerful it grows on its own, the more other people want to come in and control it for their financial and/or political agenda. Can't really blame them though, because if you or I had the power to do so, we'd probably do the same too.

Just sayin.