by Keith Simerson

Created on: August 26, 2007

Is Our Privacy Being Screwgled?

Eight years ago, I was spending the day doing wildlife/nature photography at a National Park when I came upon the backwaters of the park's main lake. Situated right at the mouth of the cove were a boat with two fishermen obviously enjoying their favorite past time. The light was excellent and the background idyllic so I thought a few photos were in order. I began taking pictures being careful not to show the faces of the fishermen or their boat's registration number so I would not have to get them to sign a release/consent form should the opportunity arise for publication purposes.

Undoubtedly, they did not want to share their tranquil setting with an anonymous photographer.

When they noticed that I was pointing my camera in their direction they became extremely irritated, stopped fishing, started their motor and came roaring my way. I did not move from my location as they buzzed past me, along with their evil glares, only to stop a short distance away and resume their fishing while keeping a watchful eye on my whereabouts. After about 10 minutes I left their little part of the world still scratching my head as to what had just happened.

I guess I had invaded their privacy. That or either they were escape convicts hiding from the law or else they were "injured" and drawing disability when they should have been working and they suspected that I was gathering evidence against them. Who the hell knows what they were thinking?

That incident bothered me for a long time because I knew that I was not doing anything that would harm them in any way. Of course they did not know what I was up to either. So, I reckon that kind of makes both of us even, doesn't it?

Now I am beginning to understand their agitation much better.

We have been scanned, cookied, and videotaped so much since then that I read that sometime in the near future, should you have the desire, you could ask Google what you should do today and they could tell you based on all the information that has been gathered about each one of us.

Now they have come out with Street View for select cities. This is really causing a buzz. Even though the images are not real time yet, you can still walk down any street in these towns and look at people and storefronts and businesses whenever you want to. One lady in New York walked down her street and when she video-strolled by her residence, she seen, much to her surprise, her cat sitting in her front window! The New York Times did a recent article on this occurrence.

One can only imagine the unlimited uses that could be performed with this technology should it ever become real time. The crook could watch you leave your home and then you could watch them try to break in. The ultimate cat and mouse game.

Then it occurred to me ... if this technology is available to the public now, you can only imagine what we are being watched with that we know nothing about. Does this mean that our homeland is safer than it was before 9/11?

I bet that those two fishermen that I ran into eight years ago are really having a cow now!

2007

Learn more about this author, Keith Simerson.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.