When every transaction leaves electronic footprints, pretty soon a computer knows things about us that we may want to keep hidden … Out of this worry grows an absolutist position: don’t let Big Brother collect information about me.
Predictor: Stoll, Clifford
Prediction, in context:In his 1995 book “Silicon Snake Oil,” writer Clifford Stoll shares his take on the Internet’s future implications regarding privacy concerns: ”Privacy’s a serious concern of network activists – they know how easy it is for institutions to collect massive amounts of data about each of us. Not just Big Brother, either. Businesses, junk mailers and politicians all want that information … Individually each of these droplets of data isn’t much of a threat. Collectively, though, an the entire ocean can be a serious worry to anonymity and privacy within our society … When every transaction leaves electronic footprints, pretty soon a computer knows things about us that we may want to keep hidden. I’m not talking about illegal things here, but simple stuff: a computer might know how much someone spent on liquor last week; how often I traveled to San Francisco; what phone calls I’ve made. Many people are uneasy about having such data collected and downright concerned that it may be stored and shared. You may have nothing to hide, but even then some of these details could be used in ways that are annoying. Out of this worry grows an absolutist position: don’t let Big Brother collect information about me.”
Biography:Clifford Stoll was an astrophysicist who also wrote the influential books “Silicon Snake Oil” (1995) and “The Cuckoo’s Egg.” A long-time network user, Stoll made “Silicon Snake Oil” his platform for finding fault with the Internet hype of the early 1990s. He pointed out the pitfalls of a completely networked society and offered arguments in opposition to the hype. (Author/Editor/Journalist.)
Date of prediction: January 1, 1995
Topic of prediction: Controversial Issues
Subtopic: Privacy/Surveillance
Name of publication: Silicon Snake Oil
Title, headline, chapter name: An Amalgam of Popular Fictions About the Internet, Including Brief Trips to China and The City of No Illusions
Quote Type: Direct quote
Page number or URL of document at time of study:
Page 36
This data was logged into the Elon/Pew Predictions Database by: Tencer, Elizabeth L.