Re: [LAAMN] From Joan--article--"Netflix Blacks Out The Revolution"
Well done Joan! If you want peace, work for justice with dignity for all. On Dec 21, 2012, at 9:22 AM, Joan Sekler wrote: > Netflix Blacks Out the Revolution > > Thursday, 20 December 2012 15:05 By Thom Hartmann and Sam Sacks, > The Daily Take | Op-Ed > > > You might want to think twice about streaming that “subversive” > documentary about the Weather Underground on Netflix. If Republicans > have their way, you just might end up on a watch list somewhere. > > This week, the House of Representatives passed an amendment to the > 1988 Video Protection Privacy Act, which forbids movie rental > companies from sharing or selling their customers’ viewing history. > The Senate is expected to take up the amendment soon. (which would > allow companies to buy a customers' viewing history) > > If this passes, what you watch on Netflix may soon become public > information that your friends, employers, and even the government will > have access to. Are you regretting streaming the latest Harold and > Kumar yet? Or all those soft-porn chick-flicks? > > Netflix favors the law change because it will help them branch into > social media and connect Facebook customers to each other based on > their similar tastes in films. Unmentioned by Netflix is the enormous > profit-potential in selling your viewing history to advertisers who > can target specific demographics based on your preference in movies. > Also unmentioned by Netflix is just who else might get this > information once it’s taken out of the privacy lockbox. > > The current version of the amendment does include a provision > requiring Netflix to get their customers’ consent before sharing their > viewing history. That’s helpful to those of us who are aware of the > online threats to our privacy. But the vast majority of Americans, > especially younger generations of Americans, are completely unaware > that their privacy is in danger when they plug into the Internet. And > it’ll probably end up being part of those notorious “terms and > conditions” that you check the “I agree” box for, just to get onto the > site. > > The recent fiasco with Instagram, and the ongoing privacy concerns > with Facebook highlight how Americans willingly flock to social media > without considering the consequences for their privacy or the value of > anonymity. Today, we're sacrificing privacy for convenience and > interconnection. > > We enthusiastically post our locations, our pictures, and our personal > information on social media networks, all of which are monitored by > advertisers, future employers, and even law enforcement. > > Your web experience is now carefully compiled and examined, so > advertising can target you specifically. They've been collecting data > on what websites you go to and what you search for on hundreds of > websites and search engines – a blatant, but legal, violation of your > individual privacy. > > Online data collection is now multi-billion dollar industry. > > This level of surveillance would have been horrifying to previous > generations, including our Founding Fathers, who held privacy in the > highest regard: they even enshrined that right in the Fourth Amendment > of the Bill of Rights. > > Yet, in the 21st Century, we become conditioned to accept these > invasions of our privacy as the new normal. > > In fact, it's increasingly looking like the United States is one > generation away from completely forgetting what privacy means. And the > consequences of this will be tragic for democracy in our republic. > > That’s because without privacy - without the ability to be anonymous – > our ability to plan peaceful revolution or non-violent social change > is radically scaled back. If big corporations or Big Brother are > watching, then they can block or sabotage efforts before they even > become public. > > It’s no secret that a massive surveillance system has been constructed > in America post-9/11. We know about the warrantless wiretapping of > American citizens. We know about Trapwire – a law enforcement tool > that keeps track of our movements in major cities across the nation > through closed circuit cameras, facial recognition software, and > license plate readers. > > And we know about the enormous spy center being built by the NSA in > Utah that will house all the data collected by the NSA since 9/11 – > including emails, phone calls, text messages, and perhaps now Netflix > viewing history – all of it in one source so that it's easily > analyzed. > > The NSA can how hold the digital version of 500 quintillion pages of > text. That's a lot of data. > > But, here’s what’s most important to remember as our privacy goes by > the wayside: Social change hinges on privacy, and, in some cases, even > total privacy – anonymity. > > This goes all the way back to the Boston Tea Party, when an anonymous > activist known even to this day merely as Rusticus posted flyers > around Boston that led directly to the Boston Tea Party. In toda
[LAAMN] From Joan--article--"Netflix Blacks Out The Revolution"
Netflix Blacks Out the Revolution Thursday, 20 December 2012 15:05 By Thom Hartmann and Sam Sacks, The Daily Take | Op-Ed You might want to think twice about streaming that “subversive” documentary about the Weather Underground on Netflix. If Republicans have their way, you just might end up on a watch list somewhere. This week, the House of Representatives passed an amendment to the 1988 Video Protection Privacy Act, which forbids movie rental companies from sharing or selling their customers’ viewing history. The Senate is expected to take up the amendment soon. (which would allow companies to buy a customers' viewing history) If this passes, what you watch on Netflix may soon become public information that your friends, employers, and even the government will have access to. Are you regretting streaming the latest Harold and Kumar yet? Or all those soft-porn chick-flicks? Netflix favors the law change because it will help them branch into social media and connect Facebook customers to each other based on their similar tastes in films. Unmentioned by Netflix is the enormous profit-potential in selling your viewing history to advertisers who can target specific demographics based on your preference in movies. Also unmentioned by Netflix is just who else might get this information once it’s taken out of the privacy lockbox. The current version of the amendment does include a provision requiring Netflix to get their customers’ consent before sharing their viewing history. That’s helpful to those of us who are aware of the online threats to our privacy. But the vast majority of Americans, especially younger generations of Americans, are completely unaware that their privacy is in danger when they plug into the Internet. And it’ll probably end up being part of those notorious “terms and conditions” that you check the “I agree” box for, just to get onto the site. The recent fiasco with Instagram, and the ongoing privacy concerns with Facebook highlight how Americans willingly flock to social media without considering the consequences for their privacy or the value of anonymity. Today, we're sacrificing privacy for convenience and interconnection. We enthusiastically post our locations, our pictures, and our personal information on social media networks, all of which are monitored by advertisers, future employers, and even law enforcement. Your web experience is now carefully compiled and examined, so advertising can target you specifically. They've been collecting data on what websites you go to and what you search for on hundreds of websites and search engines – a blatant, but legal, violation of your individual privacy. Online data collection is now multi-billion dollar industry. This level of surveillance would have been horrifying to previous generations, including our Founding Fathers, who held privacy in the highest regard: they even enshrined that right in the Fourth Amendment of the Bill of Rights. Yet, in the 21st Century, we become conditioned to accept these invasions of our privacy as the new normal. In fact, it's increasingly looking like the United States is one generation away from completely forgetting what privacy means. And the consequences of this will be tragic for democracy in our republic. That’s because without privacy - without the ability to be anonymous – our ability to plan peaceful revolution or non-violent social change is radically scaled back. If big corporations or Big Brother are watching, then they can block or sabotage efforts before they even become public. It’s no secret that a massive surveillance system has been constructed in America post-9/11. We know about the warrantless wiretapping of American citizens. We know about Trapwire – a law enforcement tool that keeps track of our movements in major cities across the nation through closed circuit cameras, facial recognition software, and license plate readers. And we know about the enormous spy center being built by the NSA in Utah that will house all the data collected by the NSA since 9/11 – including emails, phone calls, text messages, and perhaps now Netflix viewing history – all of it in one source so that it's easily analyzed. The NSA can how hold the digital version of 500 quintillion pages of text. That's a lot of data. But, here’s what’s most important to remember as our privacy goes by the wayside: Social change hinges on privacy, and, in some cases, even total privacy – anonymity. This goes all the way back to the Boston Tea Party, when an anonymous activist known even to this day merely as Rusticus posted flyers around Boston that led directly to the Boston Tea Party. In today's America, Rusticus’ plans to vandalize the tea ships would have been exposed by the East India Company, and the Boston Tea Party shut down before it even started. In today's America, people couldn't have "conspired" to overthrow unjust laws like slavery, Susan B. Anthony couldn’t have conspired with Elizabeth Cad
