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Hello, citizen number 20-29178 here. Have you ever wondered how much of your personal data is stored electronically? Probably not, however you really should consider it.
Since the explosion of the Internet and online services for almost every product you could possibly want it is increasingly difficult to feel like an individual rather than an entry on a database. My gripe is this, what is actually done with all this information collected by banks, insurance companies, and any other service you subscribe to? Is there anyone watching over the actions of these people?
With billions of separate pieces of data...
Of course people will shout about the FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT, but in reality with billions of separate pieces of data sitting on an array of servers somewhere (and probably not even in this country), what organisation could possibly cope with the sheer amount of data being harvested and hoarded away?
For instance when my car insurance is due for renewal, company?s I asked for a quote several years ago send me a letter offering me insurance with them; an automatically triggered letter sent to an entry on their database at a set time. I often receive unwanted phone calls around the same time from other insurance companies indicating that this information is shared between all the insurance groups and somehow they have got my phone number.
We are already on the cusp of the urban nightmare as predicted in the George Orwell novel 1984.
I am genuinely concerned that this information is being used to exploit and manipulate us at every turn. As the advert for car tax dodgers said ?You cannot escape the computer? which is horrifying true, and all this is done under the cover of being able to offer better services, better products, reducing fraud or just about any other line that they think the public will swallow.
But consider this the Valuation office ? an executive agency of the Inland Revenue which values every domestic property in the country has a database containing information and in some cases digital images of the private houses. They also have a complete history of property transactions, all very tempting and extremely sought after information by marketing companies and the like. Do you really trust the government to hold all of this data and not sell it on or make available to other government agencies?
In short we are tracked, monitored and watched every day and this information is squirreled away to be used against you. With the current advancements in technology what will it be like in ten or twenty year?s time? Why should we allow ourselves to be exploited in this way, and is it too late stop the ?cyber-harvesters??
By: Citizen: 20-29178
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the information gathering stops at the point the numbers are stopped
well worth the effort
I work for a smallish company & paid our corporation tax on time last year. Since than I have had two letters threatening fines for not paying it on time, plus a personal visit from someone from the tax office wanting to collect the money! Every time I tell them when we paid, & they look it up & find that I am right; but this doesn't stop them the next time!
This is just one personal example: what about all the data that keeps being lost & the total ineffiency of public bodies & large companies? (This country is still great at one thing; no-one does total incompetence like we do!)
Do you really want to trust your personal details to people who can't look after them?
Lives of people who had done nothing wrong have already been ruined by mistakes made by others in positions in authority.
Information being shared.
How often you shop, where, what you buy?
What kind of car do you own, where do you fill up with petrol?
Are you insured?
How old are you?
Are you married?
What insurances do you have?
How much do you earn?
Where do you live?
Your name.
Who do bank with?
What credit cards do you have?
Do you have a mortgage?
What is the value of your house?
Are you kids at school?
What are their ages?
What are your qualifications?
What is your medical condition?
I could go on and on. I don't know if these could count as "personal".
Get real, these people know more about me and my life than I do myself.
Boblet