Present-day Anomalies

I suppose at some point it was going to happen, but now there's chatter again about retaining records of what people do while they're online. The vastness of the internet is breathtaking; it's amazing knowing that the number of sites I check daily, weekly, and monthly are just a scratch on the surface of cyberspace. Right now, the current discussion focuses on making your ISP keep records of where you point and click, where I point and click, where Grandma points and clicks, where Junior points and clicks, and so on.

I suppose in this day and age, this was bound to happen, and at some point, I'm sure there'll be some regulations/restrictions/boundaries created. To some extent, this may (or may not) be necessary.

What bothers me though, is in the heat of creating all these different checks upon our movements and actions, from cameras installed at street corners and intersections, passwords and checkpoints for everything from the gym pool to your neighborhood school, proposed x-ray searches of airline passengers, and all the other intrusive nosing around, there remain gaping loopholes. Records of gun purchases is a prime example. Thanks to Ashcroft's interpretations of existing gun control laws (The Brady Bill, for instance), gun purchase records are now destroyed after 24 hours. So I guess if ISPs are forced to keep tabs what kind of lingerie you purchase online, or the cheap airfare to the in-laws, the gummint and cops everywhere will have no problems breathing down your neck if they want to. But if they need to track the fatal bullet from a shooting in a holdup? A gun used by a future terrorist in another tragic incident? Guess they're outta luck, huh?

Another paradox: we stand in line forever at the airports, get marched through metal detectors, get wanded by federalized security guards (that's basically what TSA personnel are, when you think about it), and if we get really lucky, pulled aside for a thorough check. Our bags sometimes appear at the other end with little slips of paper inside: Congratulations! The contents of your luggage have been viewed and paraded around for all to see! Don't worry, it's all over now-- you now have your bag back! That's not to mention the frustration if you find you're on the no-fly list. Additionally, as I mentioned in a previous blog, there's talk of installing x-ray scanners in the near future. Even pilots get checked out at the security gates.

But you know what? Other employees wander around with no problem. I read on a fairly frequent basis "Ask the Pilot" over at Salon.com, and he discussed this just last week. With all the supposed boost in security, we have people running around the airports who can more or less come and go as they please? Doesn't exactly make me feel safe.

These kinds of absurdities are illogical, and certainly don't create a consistency that I feel comfortable with in this day and age. As far as the ISPs and the internet goes, I must admit the internet is still fairly new, and there are so many possibilities as to its future. It'll be interesting to see what happens...