Comments on: An open letter to John Soat. http://blog.njoubert.com/2007/07/an-open-letter-to-john-soat.html Niels Joubert's Portfolio and Blog Mon, 03 Oct 2011 14:31:37 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: Deanne http://blog.njoubert.com/2007/07/an-open-letter-to-john-soat.html/comment-page-1#comment-70 Deanne Mon, 10 Nov 2008 15:10:00 +0000 http://njoubert.com/blog/2007/07/an-open-letter-to-john-soat.html#comment-70 This is great info to know. This is great info to know.

]]> By: weatherguy http://blog.njoubert.com/2007/07/an-open-letter-to-john-soat.html/comment-page-1#comment-25 weatherguy Sun, 15 Jul 2007 20:15:00 +0000 http://njoubert.com/blog/2007/07/an-open-letter-to-john-soat.html#comment-25 I assert that there is monumental evidence indicating: "Anyone with the ongoing ability to abuse the power they have means that eventually they will do so." It was ever thus. <br/><br/>We have had police breaking into the wrong house (bad data). Police shooting people who had only a candy bar for a weapon(bad judgment).<br/><br/>What has happened is that new technology—huge electronic databases—has made it incredibly easy to gather data on anyone. Further, the tools are, at the present, apparently, very blunt instruments. <br/><br/>When Sgt. Friday wanted data he had to work mighty hard to get the data he wanted and needed to make an arrest. These days all it takes is a call to AT&T, or for the FBI a secret "National Security Letter".<br/><br/>I want to data mine. I can afford to data mine. I have a viable business model based in large part on data mining. Am I trustworthy? I can tell you this—I have thought of ways to use the data mining tools available—and legal—to non-legal ends. <br/><br/>What has to happen is for standards to be set up which will define what, when, and how much data mining I can do. Read new law here.<br/><br/>As much as it bugs me to have another government intrusion into my life—I'm trustworthy after all—there are lots of people who will not stop (FBI, CIA, DIA local police, my local school district) until there is a law and the balance of powers is set right again. It will be a difficult law to enforce. It will require large scale data mining to uncover entities that are illegally using data mining to nefarious ends.<br/><br/>Oh, well, it was a good thought. I assert that there is monumental evidence indicating: “Anyone with the ongoing ability to abuse the power they have means that eventually they will do so.” It was ever thus.

We have had police breaking into the wrong house (bad data). Police shooting people who had only a candy bar for a weapon(bad judgment).

What has happened is that new technology—huge electronic databases—has made it incredibly easy to gather data on anyone. Further, the tools are, at the present, apparently, very blunt instruments.

When Sgt. Friday wanted data he had to work mighty hard to get the data he wanted and needed to make an arrest. These days all it takes is a call to AT&T, or for the FBI a secret “National Security Letter”.

I want to data mine. I can afford to data mine. I have a viable business model based in large part on data mining. Am I trustworthy? I can tell you this—I have thought of ways to use the data mining tools available—and legal—to non-legal ends.

What has to happen is for standards to be set up which will define what, when, and how much data mining I can do. Read new law here.

As much as it bugs me to have another government intrusion into my life—I’m trustworthy after all—there are lots of people who will not stop (FBI, CIA, DIA local police, my local school district) until there is a law and the balance of powers is set right again. It will be a difficult law to enforce. It will require large scale data mining to uncover entities that are illegally using data mining to nefarious ends.

Oh, well, it was a good thought.

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