Privacy and Government Data Collection

Many Americans are worried about their privacy – at least as far the government is concerned. Yet, as a nation, we seem totally oblivious to all the information about us which is collected by a variety of private businesses. And, most of that information is readily available to anyone willing to pay for it.

Long ago, I worked for a company which routinely conducted “background checks” (for lack of a better name) on individuals and businesses seeking a business relationship with us. This was long before the Internet. Someone from my company would contact our “research” company, provide the information we had, and request a report. There were different “levels” of reports offered, from a very basic look at publicly available records, on up to a “full detail” report.

The “full detail” reports on individuals were very detailed, including not just financial information, but also the names and ages of family members. They included a narrative of a researcher's visit to their homes and places of business. Frequently, they would include a summary of private interviews with the subject and/or their family members and/or their neighbors (which were conducted using some kind of ruse to hide their purpose). I gained a healthy respect for the amount of information available – for a price - back then.

These days, much of the same information is readily available online. Not long ago I went looking for “lost” alumni so that a reunion committee could contact them. Using names from 40 years ago, and the location of the school as a starting point, I was able to find 9 out of the 10 people I searched for - without paying a dime to a third party “information consolidator” or "researcher."

If I can find “private” information about former classmates, I've got to believe that the government can do so also, augmenting their information with freely available online information. Or, if they want more in-depth information, they could pay a “private research” company to provide a report (requesting it through a “shell company” to hide the fact that the government is paying for the report).

So... Do I worry about my government collecting all the numbers I dialed (or received calls from) last week on my phones? No. My phone companies already have all the numbers in their databases. And, they may have already "mined" them for their information value.

If my phone contacts can help in catching a terrorist, so much the better. 

Hell, on the right day, I might even be more than willing to just turn over my mother-in-law's name, phone number, and street address directly to the government for their investigation.

But that's a story for another day.