Today is World Privacy Day. (I know; it’s odd to me, too.) You can celebrate by signing on to the Madrid Privacy Declaration, either as an individual or as an organization.
Me, I’m celebrating—but I’m not going to tell you how.
Bill • January 28, 2010 6:31 AM
Google are sponsors, so I thought I’d make hay and compare search results for “World Privacy Day” on their .com and .cn sites.
And the result? Hey, go see for yourself! 😉
Note – I didn’t use an Chinese IPv4 or China-located proxy, so not 100% sure about the validity.
Trichinosis USA • January 28, 2010 7:58 AM
Google is sponsoring World Privacy Day? BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! OMG, best giggle EVAR! Right out of Orwell, really!
Ann O'Nimus • January 28, 2010 8:14 AM
I would sign on, but I can’t do so privately. 😉
Lars • January 28, 2010 8:20 AM
“Me and the big guy”
Short flick on defeating the totalitarian state.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0192299/
Which actually reached YouTube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYQKDqjCEBQ
World Privacy Day, Use at least one proxy to watch the flick.
Jake • January 28, 2010 8:24 AM
“Please send your signature to privacy AT Datos-personales dot org”
Hey, I thought it was the World PRIVACY Day? No way I’m sending them my signature — heck, today I decline to sign ANYTHING 🙂
“Sorry Officer, I will not sign this speeding ticket. Not today, we have the World Privacy Day. No, I’m afraid I cannot show you my ID either. Not today”
Richard • January 28, 2010 8:28 AM
Let me guess: All the way to the bank. 8^)
Louis • January 28, 2010 8:41 AM
So…
None of you guys have ever made a comment about privacy on any public forum, right?
Chuckles • January 28, 2010 9:04 AM
AT&T is a sponsor too. I wonder if they’re running a World Privacy Day special: “Sign the petition and get a free warrantless wiretap!”
BAH blacksheep • January 28, 2010 9:08 AM
Does that mean that they have to deactivate me on the system just for today? No observers for 24/7
; )
HJohn • January 28, 2010 9:12 AM
Wish I would have known yesterday. I’d have celebrated by turning off my cell phone, staying off the Internet, not flying, and paying cash for everything. 🙂
jgreco • January 28, 2010 9:28 AM
As a side note, today is also World Irony Day.
uk visa • January 28, 2010 9:38 AM
AT&T and Google sponsoring World Privacy Day… classic – one is reminded of Kissinger winning the peace prize… good to see that the reporting on the ‘death or irony’ was an exaggeration!
yt • January 28, 2010 10:31 AM
World privacy day always sneaks up on me.
Chuckles: “AT&T is a sponsor too. I wonder if they’re running a World Privacy Day special: ‘Sign the petition and get a free warrantless wiretap!'”
I’ve seen the price sheet on those. That’s actually a pretty good bargain. My partner’s ISP and mobile provider are making some serious income from the wiretaps on him.
Petréa Mitchell • January 28, 2010 11:37 AM
I refuse to say whether or not I might be celebrating World Privacy Day.
finid • January 28, 2010 11:48 AM
Yep, after you sign, stop using Google or any other search engine, and start using http://startpage.com
Startpage does not store any tracking info abut you.
Clive Robinson • January 28, 2010 12:26 PM
Ho Ho Ho,
“Me, I’m celebrating — but I’m not going to tell you how.”
Me thinks Bruce sometimes forgets this is a blog and not a newspaper column…
I feel an instant “guess what Bruce is upto” competition coming on.
Hmm now it will need to involve one or more of the following,
1, Food (to be assessed).
2, Squid (no don’t ask 😉
3, Security (as always)
4, and air travel.
So as a quick one,
Bruce will in a metalic silver hot air ballon shaped like a giant squid, attempt to eat a gormand meal whilst crossing Area 57 (or is that Heinz varieties).
yt • January 28, 2010 12:51 PM
Clive: as a tangent to your contest, I wonder what the “traditional” food eaten on world privacy day would be. Anybody have any suggestions?
frankly • January 28, 2010 1:02 PM
Search engine+privacy+proxy+https= startpage.com
Today startpage.com introduced a proxy service, being creative you can use it to search websites fully via as a virtual proxy, don’t forget to enable the https (https://startpage.com/) so your ISP has no logs either… Though is seems to have been set up to prevent logging into any service such as email, by disabling text entry into forms.
“- For security reasons, you cannot use the proxy to fill out forms with text input.”
http://eu.startpage.com/proxy/eng/help.html
More:
“The proxy offers complete anonymity, since the user never makes direct contact with the third-party website. The user’s IP address is invisible to the viewed website. In addition, the website cannot see or place cookies on the user’s browser.”
http://eu.startpage.com/eng/press/proxy-anonymous-browsing.html
“Additional notes and restrictions:
– For security reasons, you cannot use the proxy to fill out forms with text input.
– The proxy removes the “javascript” code of visited sites, so some features may not work.
– The proxy will not load frames that reside on a different external domain than the referrer. ”
http://eu.startpage.com/proxy/eng/help.html
frankly • January 28, 2010 1:05 PM
PS: The /panopticlick browser finger-print test from EFF may be of interest:
Nostromo • January 28, 2010 1:42 PM
If it’s World Privacy Day, then it’s time to switch from Google to http://www.startpage.com .
Judd • January 28, 2010 2:23 PM
It’s not funny. After all the website security and procedures, our web hosting company (a huge North American provider) sends out user names and passwords plaintext by Email. When asked to stop they say “No” because they don’t see an issue with it. When confronted, they actually argued that “Email is secure”. Good grief. Last year City Hall nearby sent out tens of thousands of tax statements with SS numbers plastered on the front in plain view. It took some lawyers to “explain it to ’em”. Good grief. What’s the point of debating whether privacy is dead or not. It’s not funny.
Clive Robinson • January 28, 2010 2:36 PM
@ yt,
“I wonder what the “traditional” food eaten on world privacy day would be. Anybody have any suggestions?”
Hmm in Bruces case I guess it would be “New age hash with a twist” to fit in with the skein of things 8)
As for me I guess “Oliver Gruel” because to ask for more is a no no.
Hmm the posability for bad jokes although not endless is certainly significant…
pfogg • January 28, 2010 4:06 PM
“You can celebrate by signing on to the Madrid Privacy Declaration…”
Wouldn’t a minute of silence be more apposite?
DMP • January 28, 2010 4:07 PM
“Me, I’m celebrating — but I’m not going to tell you how.”
That made me literally laugh out loud. : )
jgreco • January 28, 2010 4:29 PM
@yt
I suggest what I do for every holiday I celebrate, delivery pizza of course!
not exactly news • January 28, 2010 6:32 PM
@ jgreco As a side note, today is also World Irony Day.
These days, every day is World Irony Day.
Dan • January 28, 2010 7:46 PM
Yes, it’s World Privacy Day. But you weren’t supposed to tell anyone!
charting • January 28, 2010 9:05 PM
Uh, when did it become “World” Privacy Day? The text from the web site says “Data Privacy Day is January 28, 2010!”
Nick P • January 29, 2010 11:40 AM
Well, since it was World Privacy Day and World Irony Day, we threw a big privacy party that was open to everyone. Lots of nice drinks to keep lips tight, facebook to keep a low social profile, and the cops definitely didn’t show up [twice]. 😉
Harrow • January 29, 2010 2:49 PM
See, we were originally going to have World Secrecy Day but we couldn’t figure out how to tell anybody about it.
-Harrow.
frankly • January 31, 2010 1:24 AM
Whilst not an avid fan of goooogle, it might be useful for some to be able to view online docs using HTTPS, via the likes of:
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Sidebar photo of Bruce Schneier by Joe MacInnis.
Will • January 28, 2010 6:24 AM
fighting for privacy by giving some website your details?