Jeff Stahler for March 26, 2014

Everyone on Facebook and Twitter is practically begging to have people know every last detail about them.

I wonder if all those who post the every day details of their lives really think anybody else is interested? The viral items are generally either a cute cat or someone doing something really stupid.

At least she’s happy!

That’s one way to look at it. Another is that if a corporation does it, I have recourse – I can stop using that corporation, or if the violation merits legal recourse, I can take them to court. With government, I have no recourse.

Except that the NSA, and most bureaucracies are not elected. Even recognizing you can vote for officials, the ability to change the mindset of a bureaucracy by the elected officials above it is limited. With respect, President Obama campaigned originally on such tenants as transparency in government, closing Gitmo, etc, and it hasn’t happened. On the other hand, if I don’t want Facebook to know any more about me, I can stop using them, today, and they have no more ability to track me. The NSA, though, will track what I do wherever I go. Additionally, corporations are not only answerable to their stockholders, there is a plethora of government regulation to which the answer, and are most assuredly answerable to court decisions. I’m not keen on corporate knowledge of my business any more than the next, but by and large, when they take interest in me, it’s because they want to sell me something. When the government takes an interest in me, I have no idea why, and, their reasons for interest may change over time in ways that make me uncomfortable.