A centralized network of discoverable real names does a better job of facilitating in-person relationships than any of the distributed, pseudonymous networks we've seen. User experience is definitely key.
You hit a really important point here: 3rd parties have held personal information since the dawn of civilization: messengers, small-town post offices, the US Mail, Ma Bell, stores that tracked purchases against your line of credit in a ledger, etc.
A computer using keywords in my emails to display relevant advertising is orders of magnitude less scary than a town gossip who runs the post office and tells my extended family and neighbors anytime I receive a letter that might indicate I'm deviating from social norms or religious morals.
The code running Amazon doesn't judge people for buying erotica; the town bookseller does. The card catalog won't out you to your friends for looking up LGBT reading material; the librarian might. The code running Google Maps doesn't care and won't tell anyone that you're driving to a woman's house and then a restaurant or bar most Saturdays; the waitress/bartender will almost certainly tell a friend/stalker/jilted lover/cop who you were with.
Big Data is far less threatening than Little Data.
Yes. Your local store will be equally forthcoming with its cctv tape and employees' memories. That is a consequence of living under the rule of law. The people have continuously elected Congresses and Presidents who believe the government should have the power to obtain private information, and like it or not, they've made that legally enforceable.
I don't get to commit murder even if I feel it's justified; Amazon doesn't get to refuse to comply with a court order even if it feels it's unjustified. Nobody, individual or corporation, is going to sacrifice their well being or sit in jail indefinitely for contempt of court to protect the privacy of your purchase history.
The only people who really pull that stunt are journalists.
You hit a really important point here: 3rd parties have held personal information since the dawn of civilization: messengers, small-town post offices, the US Mail, Ma Bell, stores that tracked purchases against your line of credit in a ledger, etc.
A computer using keywords in my emails to display relevant advertising is orders of magnitude less scary than a town gossip who runs the post office and tells my extended family and neighbors anytime I receive a letter that might indicate I'm deviating from social norms or religious morals.
The code running Amazon doesn't judge people for buying erotica; the town bookseller does. The card catalog won't out you to your friends for looking up LGBT reading material; the librarian might. The code running Google Maps doesn't care and won't tell anyone that you're driving to a woman's house and then a restaurant or bar most Saturdays; the waitress/bartender will almost certainly tell a friend/stalker/jilted lover/cop who you were with.
Big Data is far less threatening than Little Data.