06.15.06
Well, now I’ve got a topic to talk about…
I was driving home tonight, listening to NPR, and they ran a story about the FBI and CIA asking Google and the like to keep track of the sites you and I search for a period of two years. No one is saying how this will be paid for (translation, tax hike), and as of right now, Google is being pretty quiet about it. Of course, Microsoft will roll over for them right away, if they haven’t already.
Privacy groups are crying out claiming that this is a violation of the 4th amendment. The powers that be are claiming this is being done in the interest of anti-terrorist, national security. It seems to me that the Bill of Rights is being thrown out the window, one amendment at a time. It also seems to be OK with the majority of Americans, as long as it’s done with the “anti-terrorist” or “national security” label.
I don’t know. Maybe it isn’t OK with Americans. Maybe most of them have no idea that it’s happening at all. Or maybe they know it is, but they figure they have no way to stop it. Or maybe everyone is against it and is actively writing their congressmen who are all just choosing to ignore it.
It’s not like I’m going to sites that are controversial or anything. Hell, I don’t even have an internet connection in my house. I’m either checking this site, the NHL’s, or various comic book news sites whenever I am on line. I’m not concerned about what I’m looking at.
If you have a computer on-line, and you have a teenaged son, however, I can almost guarantee that porn has been dialed in on your machine. Probably some sites about violence, weapons, or explosives too.
Is your child a terrorist? Is he going to commit mass-homicide at his high school. Probably not. He’s just a guy under the age of 18. These things interest boys his age. At least they did when I was a kid. We’d catch stuff on fire, blow stuff up. Just because your kid drives fast, you don’t expect him to show up at the track in Daytona. Most of the time, guys grow out of their bad behavior.
But that’s not even the real danger. Surely the Feds can figure out which kid is really a threat and which one is just young and stupid. Or maybe they can’t. Here’s the part you should really worry about…
Do your children have their own personal internet account? I’m betting not. Let’s say you have one of those young, impish boys (or worse, two or three). Let’s say he’s interested in all of the things boys normally are. Let’s say he searches the web under one or two of these “dangerous” subjects. Now, when the local constabulary knocks on your door with your Google record in one hand and a subpoena in the other, whose name is on the bill?
And if you think you can control your kids enough to prevent them from doing this, think again…