Decius wrote:
] ] Proponents of the machines assert that any invasion of
] ] privacy is not alarming because there's not much privacy
] ] left to invade. Grocery stores already track customers'
] ] personal information with loyalty cards, for example.
]
] Bars in Northern California start collecting your detailed
] personal information in the process of doing an age check. The
] arguement above is particularly disturbing.

I have to disagree with the grocery store analogy, since you're not required to use a loyalty card - you can always pay the artificially inflated "full price" of an item. (werd to Publix and Piggly Wiggly, who don't use cards at all - at least here in TN) Additionally, there's no verification when you sign up for the loyalty cards - you fill out a form and take the card. All the store would be able to track would be a spending pattern for one person, but not have any clue who that person really is if, say, they filled out their form as John Doe at 100 Main Street.

The real privacy issue is not in tracking a person at one location, but in matching data from multiple locations. I don't want people to know that I went to Blockbuster, rented Brazil and then went to Kroger for 3 cans of nitrous oxide enriched whipped cream. Somebody may think that I'm "doing drugs" when in fact I just invited a bunch of people over for movies and pie.

Dolemite
aka John Doe
aka Lex Luthor

RE: SacTicket // Nightlife // Taking license