[Shaun]

Was watching a BBC Three documentary (perhaps not the height of informed insight I admit, but still...) last night about the rapidly increasing industry of data 'mining', where companies monitor what we buy (via credit card receipts / clubcards, etc.) and then sell this information on to retailers so they can notice market trends and other stuff, in order to target you with deals you might opt for.

However, the more sinister side of this is that through the same process fraudsters, the Government and Police can also monitor your activities and there's the threat of identity theft and the police being able to check council tax/insurance etc. bills you haven't based and prosecute you more easily.

So the question I pose for this debate is; are we too free with our data, and do you feel safe?

With increases in social networking, online ordering and credit cards, this provides businesses with a lot of information to target you slightly more personally with advertisements (such as pop-ups on your computer).

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Edit - I also happen to be reading a crime novel at the moment (called 'The Broken Window' by Jeffrey Deaver, I think), where the premise is a serial killer/rapist is using such 'data mining' techniques to find out what people buy and use (such as shaving gel, shoes (for footprints), snacks (for food traces) and then uses this information to frame innocent people for his crimes. I doubt the chances of this actually happening are actually likely, but it's something interesting to consider.

[pinkmichk]

i think a lot of people esp online can give away far too many details about their life where in cases it wouldnt take a lot of work to either find idenity details for fraud or worse where they give out too much info they could potenially play into peadaphiles hands etc
this is the reason i have facebook and myspace set to private and i am careful about what i put online (oh and to stop crazy nutjobs exes from finding out too much)
i dont have a bank card (well i do but its only a cash point card) although its a pain sometimes i feel happy knowing that its not going to be cloned and my account cleared out

[ange7]

Not really scared of the notion of the lone hacker who tries to stalk you on the internet nor this conspiratorial idea of governments watching you. What really bothers me is companies who gather this data and the sell it on to direct marketing people who seems to know lots more about you than you'd like. People who argue "if you have nothing to hide then why are you bothered" are fools. Privacy laws should be strengthend but Governments are getting more into our business on the back of this "war on terror" rubbish.
Another increasing prob is identity fraud where criminals get enough info about you to open a bank account in your name and then ruin your credit rating as they make off with the banks money. hehe don't know what the answer is....