Secret Use of Personal Digital Data Shocks Australians

Image from Nathan O'Nions Flickr (Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic)

Image from Nathan O'Nions Flickr (Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic)

A current affairs exposé In Google We Trust, has caused a flutter on twitter in Australia. The ABC TV Four Corners episode, broadcast on 9 September 2013, looked at how individuals’ digital data is being collected and used. The extent of breaches of privacy, lack of online security, commercial use of personal information such as shopping habits, and even police tracking and storage of car number plates, came as a shock to many viewers.

Many tweeps were concerned by the revelations:

Apparently three Westfield Shopping Centres already have smart phone tracking ready to go. It is similar to RetailNext, instore analytics used in the United States.

Simon Johnson was one of many who think that there was nothing new in the episode:

There was also plenty of humorous reaction:

There were also the inevitable political concerns:

Concerns that big brother is secretly mining our big data are bound to increase with growing public awareness. However not everyone is that worried:

(Featured image by Flickr user – Nathan O'Nions – Creative Commmons Attribution 2.0 Generic)

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