Brave For Free

Privacy is all the rage now, and it struck me just recently that privacy protection has, in fact, changed worryingly without being noticed. Recently RBI insisted that all copies of all financial transaction data be stored inside the country, for reasons of " unfettered supervisory access ". Part of the justification for this extra-draconian measure is to protect the privacy of Indians, ensuring that no foreign power can snoop into such data. Many other data directives followed, all in the name of protecting data privacy. Today all of us are heated up about how Facebook and Google are compromising our privacy by knowing where we are and what we do. We insist on the right to be forgotten by these and other entities, convinced that they are stealing what really belongs to us. We insist that if they use information they learn about our habits, they should compensate us from their profits and not just by providing free services such as door-to-door directions and free email. S