Re: The End of Privacy ?..

Scott Badger (wbadger@psyberlink.net)
Fri, 3 Jul 1998 10:36:22 -0500

davelook <davelook@gsinet.net> wrote:

> Maybe some us extropians need to bone up on what the all the fuss is
>about
>and why some Americans are claiming that the govt is violating our rights.
>Then maybe they won't be so keen on letting the govt track every move and
>transaction.
>

Yes, violations . . . even atrocities . . . are committed by government officials. They do it because they can. Everyone has been talking on this thread in terms of a loss of privacy being a one-way street. But what if the public had the ability to track government officials and know what *they* were up to at any point? What if they, too, were under constant surveillance? I think that might end the great majority of government offenses against its people as well as the offenses of people against their government. I know many extropians don't like governmental systems but wouldn't a government be viable if it was truly ruled by the people? It could be if were constantly scrutinized and couldn't get away with anything that wasn't approved of by the majority. If we allowed ourselves to lose privacy without requiring the same from our leaders, we *would* be in deep trouble. I never meant to imply anything else.

S.B.