[kwlug-disc] have I ever told you guys that Facebook is evil?

[Chris Frey]

On Thu, Jun 16, 2022 at 01:47:39PM -0400, Doug Moen wrote:
> Like for example, we just bought a new washing machine and dryer. The top
> selling brand transmits everything you do to the manufacturer over the
> internet. For now, this is opt in, but internet surveillance already cannot
> be turned off for a growing number of consumer machines and appliances. We
> bought a less popular brand with no surveillance, because that's something
> that's still available.

"Timmy, why aren't you doing your laundry?"

"Can't Mom... the internet is down."

:-)

Correct followup (and the only one that may be available someday) is:
"Then use the washboard Timmy"


> On Thu, Jun 16, 2022, at 12:15 PM, William Park via kwlug-disc wrote:
> > No one is gonna get fired over this.  So, don't worry about it.
> 
> The Ontario Personal Health Information Protection Act
>   https://www.ipc.on.ca/health-individuals/file-a-health-privacy-complaint/your-health-privacy-rights-in-ontario/
> gives me the right to
>  * be informed of the reasons for the collection, use and disclosure of
>    your personal health information
>  * refuse or give consent to the collection, use or disclosure of your
>    personal health information, except in certain circumstances

Thanks for the link!

I think the important one here is:

* complain to our office about a privacy breach or potential breach;

So to hold their feet to the fire, we should be filing complaints with
the IPC.


> Now, nobody is being informed of the fact of collection, or of their right of
> refusal. This is prima facie illegal, according to the statement of
> principles on the web site I liked. And people don't care that their civil
> rights are being slowly eroded. "Don't worry about it", as you say. This
> process of civil rights erosion doesn't end well, it ends up with what's
> going on the United States, or worse. A generation of people are growing up,
> under a constant stream of propaganda from the surveillance capitalists, that
> privacy doesn't matter, and that privacy is the enemy of "convenience". And
> that worries me.

I'm not sure that people don't care.  There's a sizable percent that don't
care, for sure, but for many, the onslaught against our rights and freedoms
is coming so thick and heavy that it's hard to keep up.  Our leaders can
lie straight to our faces, and the consequences are slow to appear.

I think William's comment was more cynical than advisory.

- Chris