Doomsayers and survivalists have predicted ?Big Brother? will know all about us and watch us constantly. Technocrats and futurists predict that our lives will be made easier by machines that do everything for us. Science fiction writers have proposed a world where we are connected to machines.
At this point in time, I think they’re all correct. The basis of my assumption is the capability of computers to expand and update a profile of who we are and what we do, so that information is accessible by government, business and private individuals who wish to know about all that goes on around them.
In the past, it took a lot of work to assemble a dossier on a person. It was ?secret agent stuff? to have a paper trail on a person of interest. Now, that information can be obtained in a few clicks by just plugging into a database. The next time you are on the telephone with your insurance agent, ask them if they can check on your driving record. The truthful answer should be ?yes? and they are required to do so before giving a rate for your vehicle. Your lender can query your financial history to see whether you were late on a payment, what you credit score is at this moment and whether you ever declared bankruptcy. It is all easily accessible and has become standard procedure each time you interact with them.
The intent to monitor behavior has always been there but the accessibility has leaped forward thanks to the integration of the computer into our lives. If you pack a smart phone, it can track every place you go, everyone you call and what you are observing on the screen.
The question is whether technology that latches onto our daily lives is good or bad. The answer really lies in the heart of man. If the intention is to allow a business to make informed decisions, then it can be an instrument of good. If it is used by law enforcement to monitor criminal behavior or prevent terrorism, then we would also assume it is good for our country. But if the information is used to keep the populace under scrutiny for purposes of suppressing free speech or personal freedom, then we would find that to be an inappropriate use of technology.
The fact is that we have computerized our world and are expanding the database every day. If you look at Google Earth and find your home or farm, that point on the map and its inhabitants, can be monitored with greater sophistication than ever before. You can use the data to be more precise in your farming but an environmental group can also collect data to show farming practices or livestock production that they oppose. Technical specialists, who use satellite observations linked to available production data, both input and output, can project greenhouse gas emissions, adverse impact from pesticide use, water pollution from fertilizer or animal waste and a host of other conclusions.
As individuals, some people don?t want to be known at all. This is almost impossible in a civilized society because we buy, sell and use services. The video camera at the grocery store still gets your image even if you pay cash. You have to pay deductions and social security if you work, and police document any and all interaction you might have with them. Is that bad or good? It?s up to your interpretation of the use of the data by business or government.
The newest way people are providing their profile is by being active on Internet social networks. We are voluntarily letting our likes and dislikes be compiled and sold to businesses that use it to make offers to us in a very tailored manner. It is brilliant marketing but also a self-inflicted leap toward a company knowing you better than you know yourself.
I almost forgot credit cards. When you buy something with a card, it profiles you. How do you think those specialty catalogs wind up in your mailbox or on email?
My way of dealing with all this is to realize that I?m not anonymous. It is sort of like living in a small town. Always consider that those around you know what you are doing. They may not say anything to you but they know. I?m OK with that. I want them to know me when I show up at the airport and let me through without putting me in the Mohamed-Atta line. I want my car insurance agent to pull up my record and see that I am a good driver with few blemishes on my record. I want the bank to decide to loan me money because I?ve made my payments and have a good credit score.
If you believe in God, and subscribe to the theory of divine judgment, then you would assume that St. Peter has a perfect database of your life that he’ll review to determine your status for eternity. Maybe we should just recognize that, except for what’s in our hearts, everyone else has access to that database too.
