Terms and Conditions

And the berries just keep blooming on the weed. A month ago, we were all talking anew about Benghazi, the IRS, the DOJ and the Associated Press, and the EPA. Now we have all of those plus the NSA and the State Department (again). Probably the only thing that surprises me at this point is the fact that these are being both investigated and reported. It is enough that I'm looking for a peaceful place on the internet to get away from all these stories, because even as a political junkie, it's getting harder to ignore the fact that the social compact between citizen and Government is taking some severe blows to the head. If there is such a safe haven, let me know so that I can buy some virtual real estate there.

Let's throw out some obvious truisms: "He who controls the information, controls the world." "Knowledge is power." Where does this information come from? It comes from us. We provide it willingly every time we sign our name to a form, click the box to accept "Terms and Conditions" from whatever service requires our registration, or otherwise entrust our personal information, numbers, emails, and SSNs to anyone who asks. It is an incredible act of trust to turn over our information in the hopes that the recipient of that information (corporate or government) will keep it private and use it only for the explicitly stated purpose for which it was required. But we do it, because we like our social media, we like our smart technologies, we like being able to see the doctor, have insurance, drive a car, go fishing, run a business, and be employed. To receive the requisite privileges, we are required to pay with our money and our personal information. We are by definition complicit, because we agree to these terms.

Are we due certain protections? I'd like to think so. But the fact that abuses occur like that of the IRS and possibly the NSA should surprise no one. And sadly, it is not at all clear that these abuses are technically illegal, although it may feel like they should be. The truth is that this oh-so-glorious Information Age has accelerated the evolution of the modern Surveillance State. Our information is no longer our own, and quite frankly, once you turn it over you can never get it back. You will never be able to elect a single politician who will champion, much less succeed, in rolling back the Surveillance State. The siren song of data is too alluring, too powerful, too deafening to be silenced. The citizen can at best minimize their exposure, but even this offers little protection.

I don't know how all of this is going to play out. There will be Congressional hearings, a season of wailing and gnashing, and quite possibly a major breakdown somewhere within the homeland and foreign security apparatus. But after a time, we'll all go back to our Facebook, our Twitter, our smartphones and our digital lives. Maybe we'll be a little wiser, or maybe not.

Why? Because we've already accepted the terms and conditions. The modern age is shiny. And we do like our shiny things. Unfortunately, so does he: