Letter 2 America for June 14, 2013

Dear America,

I am perplexed by the political tumult caused by the new revelations about NSA (National Security Agency) subpoenas for general phone and other data records.  And I am just as nonplused by the reactions of corporations like Google and Microsoft, both of which are seeking permission from the federal government to disclose what they have provided under those subpoenas.  The reason for my bewilderment is that, with regard to those corporations and others involved, no one is concerned about the fact that they collect such data as would be of interest to the NSA, or more importantly, that they use it...and even sell it to whoever will pay enough...for the purpose of tracking not just our habits, but our whereabouts as well.  Google knows where you are when you are on your computer, but the public hue and cry over that fact never seems to emerge.  More importantly, our politicians--all of whom are now making a great show of hand wringing and self-examination over what they have allowed the federal government to do so far and the sanctity of our constitutional right to privacy--never even mention the fact that corporations are by far more adept, more willing and in fact, more eager to accumulate information about us and to store it for their own use...to control us.  We are being watched, and the government...federal, state and local...is doing so.  But so is Microsoft...so is Google.  And they answer to no one.  At least we can fire the politicians who brook the intrusions into our lives of the security agencies that purport to protect us from our real and dangerous enemies.  As to Microsoft, Bill Gates answers to no one.  And that kid Zuckerberg never even considers explaining himself.  Why doesn't anyone care?

Recently, whenever I did a search on Google Chrome--Chrome is Google's browser competition for Microsoft's Explorer--there was a note in the margin asking if I wanted to know more about what was available to me in the town in which I live.  I never gave that information...where I live...to Google, and I was chagrinned that Google knew it anyway.  In the settings I had entered when I installed Google Chrome, I had checked the box that supposedly blocked the location capacity of the browser, but as they were locating me anyway I read the information available to me from Google about that setting.  It said in essence that they blocked others from getting that location information--and by the way, they don't do a very good job of that either--but there was no commitment from Google that it wouldn't locate me.  Over the course of the next few weeks, I looked for the opportunity to block location information wherever I could find it, including on my non-Microsoft web security firewall software, and now, Google can't find me anymore...or at least they aren't admitting it in the margins of my searches as they did before.  And it must be noted that they seem to be trying to regain the capacity to locate me--despite my expressed preference not to be located--if the information my firewall program gives me is any indication.  I get a warning from the firewall program every time my computer tries to use a program to access the internet, and every time a web site tries to access my computer.  Among those warnings is one for "Google Installer," which is continually trying to "install" something, and who knows what that might be.  And then there's the frequent warning that "Microsoft Host" is trying to access the internet.  I don't want Microsoft hosting anything from my computer, nor do I want to allow Microsoft Host or any other Microsoft program to know, much less convey, anything it finds on my computer.  There is even a regular notice that my automotive GPS device's manufacturer wants to access the internet from my computer, which is possible because in order to keep my GPS maps up to date I had to install the necessary software on my computer so that I could plug the device in and get it updated through the internet.  Incidentally, the device was working fine until I updated the first time, and now it regularly goes dark showing a small picture of a desk top computer instead of the maps I need...presumably to indicate that it is doing something on the internet, or at least trying to.  Of course, the GPS requires my location in order to guide me, so if I want to use it, I have no choice, but who else is it telling when it accesses the internet, I wonder...the price I have to pay, I guess.

In the final analysis, I am concerned about our society's cavalier attitude toward personal information being gathered by business and industry just as much I am about the government's routine intelligence gathering for security's sake.  With regard to the government, at least it is ostensibly for my protection, but Microsoft, Google, Yahoo?  I don't have confidence that such is the case when it comes to them.  There's no constitutional protection from them.  There was a saying in New York when I was a kid: "Does Macy's tell Gimbels?"  They were the two biggest department stores in The City, and later everywhere else as well.  But eventually, they were both bought by Federated Department Stores and no one asks about what Macy's tells Gimbels anymore.  The question that plagues me now isn't about the two department stores.  The question is, does Microsoft tell Uncle Sam...and who, in the end, is going to buy whom?

Your friend,

Mike