Privacy, fundamental to life in a free and democratic
society, is under serious attack as more and more of our lives are lived out
digitally.
Governments, crown corporations and large private corporations are working by themselves, for themselves, and in concert (and self interest) to process data in ways that meet their needs; all at the expense of our privacy. They may pay lip service to privacy but once the toothpaste is out of the tube there is no going back.
In a report titled “Bigger Monster, Weaker Chains: The Growth of an American Surveillance Society,” the American Civil Liberties Union gave an example of privacy in this traditional sense: “A woman who leaves her house, drives to a store, meets a friend for coffee, visits a museum, and then returns home may be in public all day, but her life is still private in that she is the only one who has an overall view of how she spent her day. In America, she does not expect that her activities are being watched or tracked in any systematic way -- she expects to be left alone.”
As we forge ahead we must do so with our eyes wide
open. Threat of abuse of authority
should lead us to establish constraints on both government and corporate power
so that we are free, in almost everything we do, to make our choices without
worrying about retaliation.
If you have an injury claim with ICBC you should know that
digitized information will be used against you to diminish your claim and
attack your credibility.
When interests are not aligned and your adversary has access to your private information (which they do and are working hard to process efficiently) you are putting yourself in harms way and at risk to abuse of authority.
The lawyers at Becker Lavin & Wessler work on behalf of
the individual and will endeavor to champion the rights of the individual to
privacy and fair dealings that our ancestors expected we do when passing on the
keys to us to this free and democratic society.
Long live decency, dignity and fair dealings.
