Re: [Social-discuss] On Data Privacy

[Hellekin O. Wolf]

On Sun, Apr 11, 2010 at 08:18:38AM -0500, Max Shinn wrote:
> 
> Once data is made digital, there is no controlling it, especially when it
> is put online.  [...] Technical solutions may help a bit here or there, 
> but in all reality, the only way to prevent private information from 
> becoming public is to not post it online.
>
*** True.  Not putting information online can help protecting it.  But
then, we don't share, eh?

> This leads one to question the scope of GNU Social.  Just because Facebook
> provides something doesn't mean GNU Social MUST have it.  For instance,
> personal messaging.  If you want to send private personal messages, use
> email and GPG; DON'T send that information through a web service so that
> your data can sit on who knows what server.  Encrypting that information
> before sending it through the server, and making the user download it
> before decrypting ruins the whole point of going through GNU Social in the
> first place.
>
*** I don't understand why encrypting the information before sending
it, and decrypting it after having received it would "ruin the whole
point of going through GNU Social", can you explain that part?

AFAIK, there's no reason why server to server (S2S) shouldn't be
encrypted.  XMPP does it, PSYC does it.  If users also use encryption,
then everybody's happy, except marketing companies who want to scan
your data to extract patterns out of it.

> So for those who just skimmed the the message, what I want to say is that
> the expectation of privacy we set should be no greater than that of
> Facebook.  The most advanced level of privacy that can possibly be given
> by a web service is that MOST of your data will be private; in other
> words, a rudimentary "we'll do our best" followed by a firm handshake.
> 
*** Then is it related to *web service*?  

If  you're an American willing to keep your date secret, MOST should
be enough.  But if you're a journalist in Iraq or Indonesia, MOST can
kill you.  It's not enough.

So, the question might be: what and who do you want to protect?  Is
GNU Social destined to be used in a hostile environment or in
Disneyland?  FWIW, I've been told that the Internet is a hostile
environment.

==
hk