BBC links:Privacy Concerns over States/Corporations"Use of Personal Info

Hello,
The BBC news articles below address privacy concerns
over states' and corporations' use of personal data.
I think you will find the links useful.

Thanks,
Mashi

The basic summary is the following:
1. States collect personal info by various methods
(eg:CCTV/closed-circuit TV in roadways).
Corporations collect personal info by various means
(eg:credit card transactions).
2. The info collected by a single entity
(state/corporation) is considered
SEPERATELY BY ITSELF. The combination of
data collected by different entities is NOT
considered by many people.
3. Corporations are now building their businesses
by DATA MINING on previous customer interactions with them.
This is common practice.
4. If there are no safeguards to prevent corporations
from **SHARING** personal info with other corporations/state,
then IN THE FUTURE, an ECONOMY based on personal info
will come up (eg: a business targets only rich customers
based on info obtained from their bank records, insurance
companies may turn down requests based on info obtained
from health services etc).
5. If there are no safeguards to prevent state agencies
from **SHARING** personal info with other state
agencies/corporations, it could lead to SOCIAL DISCRIMINATION.
(eg: Traffic police may stop cars to do checks based on
info obtained from other state agencies regarding race of
the driver of car. ie. linking number plate to name, name to race,
and race to probability of person committing a crime).
6. Different ways outlined are CCTV(closed-circuit TV), number
plate recognition, shop RFID, mobile phone triangulation, store
loyalty cards, credit card transactions, electoral rolls,
health service records, TV preferences recording, worker
monitoring etc
Although some of them apply to only DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
(like CCTV), many could also apply to DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
(like credit card transactions, mobile phones).
7. Concerns outlined are
a. loss of privacy
b. loss of choice/consent by consumers
c. discrimination
8. IN THE FUTURE, when RFID (radio-frequence ID) tags become
cheap, they could create 'AN INTERNET OF THINGS'.
9. There are great risks if the info contained in the databases
are wrong/inaccurate or if it falls into wrong hands.

*How we are being watched -
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6110866.stm
*Britain is 'surveillance society' -
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6108496.stm
*Q&A: Radio-frequency ID tags -
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6055296.stm
*Trust warning over personal data -
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/5172890.stm
*Is business the real Big Brother? -
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/5015826.stm

Thanks,
Mashi