08/28/98

The Telltale Pizza

Readers sometimes introduce new topics of general interest, such as this one about loss of privacy ... written by reader and freelance writer, Barbara Kidwell.

Dear Beth:

Your telephone rings and you answer.

"Hello?"

"Hello! Mrs. Smith?"

"Yes."

"Mrs. Smith, I'm Maggie from Hackneyed Information Telesystems (HIT). My computer database shows that you live at 320 Bonanza Boulevard, that your husband was recently arrested for embezzlement, that you are presently considering liposuction and that your dog has fleas. Is this information correct?"

Does this sound outrageous? Think again!

Computers and advances in communication have brought changes into all aspects of our lives. One of the most basic and pervasive of changes is the EROSION OF PRIVACY.

We see our privacy slipping away daily. Call for a pizza delivery and you are only asked for your phone number. The computer supplies your name, address and which toppings you prefer. You have a charge account with a major retailer and receive an annual "birthday card" advising you to increase your life insurance coverage. The private lives of public figures are scrutinized and analyzed and hung out to dry in the glare of public opinion.

These are small things and for that reason we accept them. And therein lies the danger: We are coming to accept a society where privacy plays no part in daily living.

We accept that our insurance company will force us to discuss intimate personal data with complete strangers in their "managed care" plans before allowing us to follow the advice of our own doctors. We accept that reporters will flash their cameras in the face of grief-stricken mourners and roll the video cameras at "noteworthy" funerals. We accept our names being bartered and sold on subscription and customer lists.

Each tiny acceptance is another tiny slice of our privacy gone.

What to do?

As citizens and as consumers, we have a chance to stem this tide. The most important thing we can do is to become aware of and sensitive to these small encroachments on our privacy. Then make choices accordingly. When possible, choose insurance that respects your right to follow your doctor's advice without interference. Refuse to watch television movies that exploit grief and tragedy. Tell telephone solicitors that you don't conduct business in your home and ask for their home numbers so that you can call them back at your convenience.

And the next time you call for a pizza and the COMPUTER registers your favorite toppings, tell them you want a double anchovy and rutabaga special instead!

LINKS:

EROSION OF PRIVACY: Privacy on the Internet

Leaving Tracks in Cyberspace

The Electronic Privacy Information Center

Please send questions or comments to bbruno@snet.net.