The Myth of Privacy

When I first went on the Internet in the mid-1970s, I assumed that anything I sent out would be public. I decided to avoid messages that looked sexist, racist or homophobic, and I hesitated to publish photographs of my private parts, something political leaders are still doing 40 years later. Today our Internet providers share what they know about us with merchants who want to sell us things, and most of us have signed agreements authorizing this. Many "free" Internet providers require it. 

From the start, many government agencies have been peering at some of our email. Now they plan to store and sift through even more of our junk. Who do they think they are, L. L. Bean? I would join with the talking heads on TV in opposing this invasion of my privacy except for one thing: everything on the Internet is public. Seeking privacy on the Internet is like seeking dryness while body surfing at Waikiki.