Data Privacy and its Consequences
This opinion piece appeared in the EPFL Forum Magazine (p. 22), but since most people will never see it there, I thought I'd post it. [I hope the student editors of the magazine read Martin Vetterli's interview on open science and apply the same spirit to this reposting.] Data Privacy and its Consequences Prof. James Larus School of Computer and Communications Sciences, EPFL Public perception is slowly changing in regards to data privacy. From fighting terrorism to getting targeted advertisement instead of random ads, many people feel as if giving up a bit of privacy may not be such a bad thing. But is it? James Larus, Professor and Dean of the School of Computer and Communication Sciences at EPFL, sheds light on this complex issue. What is your privacy worth? Probably more than you expect. Most people unknowingly trade away detailed, specific personal information for a “handful of trinkets” and, in doing so, have made companies like Google,...