Our Data, Our Selves

It´s Friday night, the end of a tough week. You're ready to relax with your family, and you've enjoyed cooking a meal together. A wonderful aroma of spices and sesame oil fills the kitchen.

Just as you sit down to dinner, the phone rings. A computer half a continent away has turned up your name and telephone number on the screen of a telemarketer. The computer has data about you that suggest you might be interested in purchasing new aluminum siding. "How are you this evening?" comes the telltale telemarketer greeting when you pick up the phone. In a tone that is louder and angrier than you intended, you blurt out, "I was fine, until you called," and then you hang up and stalk back to the table. Once again, your privacy has been invaded.

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