Comments on Mutualist Blog: Free Market Anti-Capitalism: Corporate Liberalism at Microsoft

Alberto,Thanks for the link to the Guardian story....

2005-11-28T09:02:00.000-08:00

Alberto,

Thanks for the link to the Guardian story. I may be using it in a post soon. And I've wished for a long time that I'd set up with some Linux-based OS like Debian. When my contract with PeoplePC expires, I may make the switch, if importing old files isn't too much of a problem.

Josh,

I'm certainly pleased with my Firefox browser (especially when it keeps track of my passwords); not real thrilled about all the "page timed out" messages I get, though. Page loading is something they need to work on. And happy Turkey day to you, too.

Adam,

I don't entirely disagree in principle with what you're saying. But (stipulating that the SS number exists), the best way to prevent its abuse as a "consumer/debtor national ID" by banks and other private corporations is for the feds to go back to their original stated policy that the SS number will be used only for tracking SS accounts.

Hacking away at the branches of corporate data aggregation without "striking the root" of the government's ID system is a losing battle.

I think the MS press release was not so much interested in enforcing a higher level of privacy (after all, they're notorious for collaborating with the police state), as in enforcing a uniform standard that would remove it as a competitive issue while putting a government seal of approval on their product--much as the big meat packers did with the Meat Inspection Act.

I can almost guarantee that any government-sponsored industry standard for privacy won't impede data aggregation by the nice folks at Ft. Meade or in this week's version of TIA.

Kevin,I think you're missing an important aspect o...

2005-11-27T09:16:00.000-08:00

Kevin,

I think you're missing an important aspect of the story. Most privacy invasion takes place on top of corporate welfare, in the form of government-issued and authenticated identity documents. Without a social security number, tying records together is nearly impossible. Without government issued ID cards with your name and address, everyone can claim to be named George Bush, and tying records together is impossible. So the privacy invasions which take place are built on government support. Given that, it seems to make sense to regulate how the information which the government collects and authenticates is used.

Firefox kicks ass.- Joshp.s. happy thanksgiving, k...

2005-11-26T17:24:00.000-08:00

Firefox kicks ass.

- Josh

p.s. happy thanksgiving, kev

I found this article about mutualism and Internet....

2005-11-26T11:17:00.000-08:00

I found this article about mutualism and Internet.

Debian is better than Microsoft. And LUG's could b...

2005-11-26T10:42:00.000-08:00

Debian is better than Microsoft. And LUG's could be structures similar to mutualist institutions as oposittion a corporate official software vendor support system.