Internet Data for Sale?

The city of Los Angeles has proposed a multi-million dollar buyout of all sorts of Internet information: e-mail, personal information, even police records. They propose to use Google to find all of this information; essentially tap Google’s unlimited database. Although the city wishes to buy everything for noble reasons like criminal tracking and other crime deterrents, the public worries for its loss of privacy.

Paul Weber, who spearheads the Los Angeles Police Protective League, says that he himself is worried. He says that his unit has little knowledge on what the plan fully entails, and they are quite worried about what the repercussions on the public’s privacy will be. He is especially worried about the release of confidential police records and other criminal data.

He was right, and not the only one worried. The online messaging giant Twitter sent out a message to be careful when using Google, because they frequently use “cloud computing”: storing files online rather than in their direct control. This allows the data to be much easier to hack and get into. Twitter isn’t the only one to have this concern though, but it a novel event that one huge company calls out another.

This shift from keeping data and information online is useful, as it cleans up the massive amount of space needed to store all of this data, but it represents many security issues. For one, the whole thing would be accessed by a username and password system, so if a hacker got either, he could be on his way into a gold mine of information. This is also amplified by the fact that many people link their accounts together, so if a hacker gained access to one account, he could actually be getting into many accounts. Also, there are not as many layers of security that prevent an interloper from gaining access.

Twitter alerted the masses after it had a user hacked when a criminal stole his password, or correctly answered his security question. This makes people worried; if this storing of information makes security problems already, then what will an entire database being released do to us?

Imagine what a drug cartel would pay to have the information on an investigation that they are suspects in; or the lengths they would go to in order to steal the information. Releasing this information to the city is making both possible, and the public is worried. The city will meet next week and discuss whether the plan will go through or not. The council is ambivalent; some believe that it will good to be able to access all of this information, while others are worried about the privacy hit the public could endure.

The group has proposed ways to keep you safe and secure online. For one, they say to try and not give away too much personal information. Also, utilize an anonymous proxy server while surfing the web and maintain your anonymity. The private proxy can also hide your identity and IP address and ensure your anonymous browsing.

If the plan is ratified, the city will be making a big leap into the twenty-first century says the mayor. Storing data offline is an archaic way to do things, and storing it online requires less space and memory. The company slated to do the changes, Computer Sciences, has asserted that they have done this kind of thing before and it has worked out fine for other agencies. They also say that the city is thinking about making an upgrade to a higher level system for a slightly larger fee, and this will be even more secure.

There is one factor to consider though, and it is a dark and insidious one: no one yet knows how privacy laws will protect this sent information. The head of World Privacy Forum Pam Dixon, says that Los Angeles doesn’t know what they are getting themselves into and rushed into this decision. She thinks that the transfer of so much sensitive information all at once presents a huge privacy hazard. A spokesperson for the mayor has retorted with an assurance of top-priority safety and the guarantee that the citizens will enjoy faster browsing speeds.

This all sounds like a great philanthropic project, but still be careful online, even if you aren’t a Los Angeles resident, this could still happen in your area. Stay safe and anonymous online all of the time, and don’t let anything get between it.

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