Musing on the Information Highway

Wednesday, 20 August 2008 19:30

I have been reflecting on our accessibility to the Information Highway or as more commonly known the web or internet. This is partly because it can be difficult to get a good signal here at Pewsey as it is a bit of a "black hole" for all things that rely on the cell system we use for mobile connection, no matter who your provider is.

However there has also been a lot recently about broadband companies not delivering on what they promise speedwise and this has been brought to mind by the slowness of our broadband at work.

Part of me as a "non techie" who has a little knowledge, wonders whether the whole system is totally overloaded and one day will go BOOM! We would be back in amost the dark ages if so, because so many things rely on this system of communication now. Gosh, we would have to write letters by hand, deal with people face to face, rely on manual methods for accounting, memorising and keeping records. Another generation or so and these skills will be lost.

However life would slow down and we would have to learn to be more patient - not a bad thing methinks! But I do think there are some positives to this technology, I am just concerned as -

My mind then went back to a conversation I had a couple of weekends ago with a "leading light" in the NO2ID campaign. I mentioned the government's wish (and draft law) to be able to access emails and browsing history via the ISPs and that surely this breaks every privacy law, human right law, and trancends even the level of intrusion we have now.

Have a look at NO2IDs latest newsletter, in the "whats next" and "ID in the news" sections, follow some of the links. Be afraid, be very afraid if you think you have something to hide but more important if you just want your right to privacy to continue. Pandora's box is open, be aware!

OK we all know that Google crawls all over our blogs, photographs our streets and your house can be identified on Google Earth. We KNOW that. It is in the public domain as they say. What do we NOT know?

I am not a political animal, I have no particular axe to grind but I do feel we should keep ourselves informed if if we have strong feelings for or against, add our voices to consultations, forums, petitions. We are very fortunate to be able to do so, long may it continue.

PS If you don't hear from me again............

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