I remember we were somewhere in the middle of the 11th grade. I was standing in the hall just outside the doorway leading into Mrs. Haring's "Advanced Comp" classroom, looking down at a big, red "A" boldly emblazoned at the top of the composition in my hands. A classmate was standing beside me, looking over my arm at the pages. I had struggled for days to write the perfect paper, but this one wasn't mine. It was hers, and she'd just handed it to me so I could take it home and maybe learn something from the words she'd written or the way she'd written them. But it was how my mother responded, and what she said that -I know now- I will remember for the rest of my life. Coincidentally, the only classmate who -all along- had held the power to conjure up the recollection of my mother’s seemingly prophetic advice on the subject was Annamarie. In one of those fateful (or is it "ironic?") moments, she was now offering 3 versions of the same counsel, which her own composition had seemed to evoke 3 decades earlier. It may have taken 32 years for my "Eureka!" moment, but the very real magic of the message in the den was finally revealed. The appointed messenger was Annamarie; the inspiration may have been Divine; but the time, there is no doubt, was "now." So I opened my mind and let my fingers do the walking online. (For the quick-study lesson, google one of "Google's own," Jane Horvath.) Jane was the U.S. Justice Department's first Chief Privacy Counsel until last summer when, in a much-publicized move, she accepted a position as Chief Privacy Counsel for "Facebook." In testimony this summer before the U.S. Senate, she suggested Americans who publish personal information to the internet require it be "anonymized" every 18-24 months. (Yes, that's right... Google has coined still another verb!) So I contacted her to learn more and to get her "stamp of approval" on our Committee's approach to securing the privacy of our transmissions of data and the delivery of directories online.
Sitting on the couch in my family's den later that afternoon, I began reading the papers: mine, with the solid, red "B-," and hers, "le Grand Rouge." My mother walked into the room and looked at me, inquisitively. I handed her the pages. She read through both of them, and I knew, when she was done... Mrs. Haring ("Sharon," at the reunion) had gotten it right.
Annamarie had drawn from the unfortunate, if not tragic, events of her youth. She had -somehow- managed to remove herself so far from them that, at that distant perspective, she could imbue words with a life beyond earthly objectivity. (Today, one might call it a "global" perspective.) The writing was profound, yet simple; emotional but restrained; personal and yet, universal (as "in, of, and, or related to the universe.") I remember thinking, "it was just really, really good." And I knew my mother agreed.
"Annamarie is talented," she commented, before a long pause. Then, looking at me as only a mother would, she added, "Never put anything in writing you don't want the world to know." The ever-guarded vault of privacy had spoken and, clearly, it was just too personal an exposé for one of her children to ever emulate for the sake of a better grade.
We all should know it by now. We're living in a world that's both instant and inquisitive. Someone in Beijing texts "hello" on a hand-held and, in a moment, a mother in Rochester has already replied via email to her daughter, who's filming the Olympics in real time for NBC. The camera slips, and the world sees the mobile email device in her hand. So, what does the viewing audience do? We strain our eyes for a glimpse at the message -any message- on accidental display. The inquirer in most of us, I believe, "wants to know."
When the idea for a fully-interactive, perpetual class directory was first envisioned, I reached out to a few I considered experts in our Class, in order to cyber-brainstorm some concepts. From one of them, I received 3 reply emails inciting me to understand one important point... For a myriad of reasons, our Class Directory should not be posted online.
There are currently no Global Data Privacy laws, per se, which protect Americans (an issue of contention for the EU), and the only e-commerce-related privacy laws in effect in the U.S. ( Privacy Act of 1974 and the E-Goverment Act of 2002 ) apply specifically to larger corporations and governmental institutions. There are also industry-specific laws, like HIPAA, which protects patients' rights to privacy.
Ms. Horvath refers those inquiring about the security and privacy of information online to a blog space she authors. Those interested in learning more about online searches may view one of them by clicking on Search Privacy and Personalized Search.
As Annamarie's global communications camp espouses, data "harvesters" and email "phishers" are the real piranhas living in the sea of cyberspace. When coupled with Google's latest positions, they make hugely counter-productive the functionality of a site permitting self-posting by individual classmates of perpetual directory information. Sites like classmates.com, facebook.com and myspace.com provide as much of that kind of online service as is feasible within the limitations of common sense.
The global message to be delivered, then, from mom's unwitting foresight, Annamarie's global perspective, Jane Horvath's publicized experience ... from my own learned fingers is this: be very careful what you put into written form, what you submit online, and what information you provide over the telephone.
Since 2001, Americans have lived under the pervasive cloud of the USA Patriot Act . (Go Patriots!) Updated "warrantless" surveillance- and sophisticated "intelligence" laws permitting legal eavesdropping on interstate telephone calls, and the interception of emails, coupled with the plethora of individual citizen "phishes," swimming on their own through cyberspace, should be enough to remind anyone, sometimes in not so pleasant ways, not to provide too much information. Sadly, it's often too late, especially because all anyone really had to do was ask for it. (I received 4 calls to my cell phone last month from callers in Florida claiming to be the "Policeman's Benevolent Fund," even though my number is recorded on the National Cell Phone "Do Not Call" Registry. To register yours, call from your cell phone(s): 888-382-1222.)
Your Data-Directory Committee is amply aware of the issues shaping Privacy & Data Protection, and you, as our own classmate or teacher or friend, should feel comfortable in knowing that the Committee will accept the challenge to make absolutely certain not to betray the trust of the Class -- our Class. Your database information will be protected and will never be distributed intentionally in any form of published directory or otherwise (except as necessary for maintenance among members of the Committee), without your expressed, individual permission. Only those items you specify will be digitally encrypted (or copyrighted) and published, and you will have sole control over the dissemination of any part of your own information, other than that which you have pre-authorized or released for publication yourself.
Responding to the concerns and preparing for the future, we've tried to simplify the process of data entry by creating two (2) separate sections for entering your information in a securely-transmitted online form; either or both of which you may elect to submit to the Committee. We have also tried to clarify the purposes for each one on the "Data Entry" page.
It is my hope that by collecting data in this manner, though time-consuming for all, your specific requests regarding the Privacy and Protection of your personal information will be more clearly conveyed to us and more easily managed for you. As a result, our first official directory, due out just in time for the holidays, very well may be lacking in content. Only you have the power to make that not happen, so pass the word. "Go to fchs78.com!"
If I can be of any assistance in completing the forms, please do not hesitate to send me an email or message online. While we are not an email announcement service and cannot invite you to use our web site simply to broadcast messages to the Class, we will attempt to honor your "find a classmate" or "send a message to a classmate" request as the website evolves and time permits.
Thanking you in advance for your anticipated participation, I remain
"Patriotically,"
Matt Hogendobler
