Today's news belongs to privacy and individual freedoms, yet again. First a celebrity writer/socialite in India is asked to apologize for her thoughts on the possibility of other regions demanding independent statehoods; such calls for retraction and contrition are now routine in the Indian social media scene.
The more interesting - or shocking, depending on which side you're on - news is that we now have what else, Google Now, which can anticipate your needs and set your life in rigorous order by reading your emails, scanning your calendars and tracking your travel schedule. Thereby eliminating all possibility of dodging a tiresome con call.
Then there's Russia which plans to equip Moscow's subway stations to read commuters' mobile phone data. Ostensibly, to track stolen phones. Well.
If that's creeping you out, then take heart from a Vancouver firm which has developed a senior-friendly tablet device to enable the elderly keep track of their health and medication, and also keeps a caregiver network in the loop. The gadget aptly named "Companion", apparently alleviates loneliness and the feeling of isolation without infringing privacy. Nice.
So it all comes down to which Big Brother is watching, doesn't it?
The more interesting - or shocking, depending on which side you're on - news is that we now have what else, Google Now, which can anticipate your needs and set your life in rigorous order by reading your emails, scanning your calendars and tracking your travel schedule. Thereby eliminating all possibility of dodging a tiresome con call.
Then there's Russia which plans to equip Moscow's subway stations to read commuters' mobile phone data. Ostensibly, to track stolen phones. Well.
If that's creeping you out, then take heart from a Vancouver firm which has developed a senior-friendly tablet device to enable the elderly keep track of their health and medication, and also keeps a caregiver network in the loop. The gadget aptly named "Companion", apparently alleviates loneliness and the feeling of isolation without infringing privacy. Nice.
So it all comes down to which Big Brother is watching, doesn't it?
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