"I do not wish to live in the (kind of) society that my grandchildren will live in", said Alex Türk, President of the CNIL in Les Echos on April 7. "Our society is fascinated by technology and we are not able to resist this temptation".
We are immersed in technology and it has, of course, transformed our lives. But, like the tongue of Aesop, it is perhaps both the best and the worst of a thing:
- I travelled today on the highway between Cavaillon and Marseilles and thanks to the LiberT system, I was able to pass unimpeded through the highway tollgates. I did not have the impression that I was wasting my time waiting in line, I receive a monthly bill, I get some rebates.... but it is possible to discover that on 10 May at 8.02 pm I went through the tollgate at Lançon de Provence.
- I, like many of us, have a page on Facebook (and on LinkedIn, Viadeo, etc.) where, as of today, I have 135 contacts. I am delighted to be able to use social networks to interact, discover and maintain my network groups. I have posted a lot of information about myself on them (though far less than many others). One part of my life is thus accessible, analysable, and dissectible by any cyber tool having access to these social networks.
- My pharmacist gave me a leaflet entitled: "The Pharmaceutical File, more protection for my health". If I give them my permission to open this Pharmaceutical File, it will contain "my identity and all medications that were delivered to me in any pharmacy in France during the last 4 months". The pharmacist assures me that this "will take care of my health even better" by "making sure that any of my medications do not serve the same purpose, or that there is no risk of dangerous interaction"..." Efficacy, safety, freedom: open a PF, your health has everything to gain".
- I am the first to admire Google and use its free services. We have, Google and I, something of an implicit agreement: "I provide information that nourishes the system which, in turn, provides me with a structure for sharing it". But Google (like Yahoo or Microsoft), possesses personal data relating to me: they know EVERYTHING about my tastes, passions, research, my cyber travels, and they want to keep it. The CNIL requested them not to preserve the information for more than a maximum period of 6 months. Google refuses to do so and accuses Alex Türk of "technophobia".
Alex Türk concludes by saying: "That is why I'm anxious. If you add files, biometrics, the Navigo pass, the electronic toll payment, credit cards, to this ... It is clear that society is closing in around us. "
It is as though we promptly pay for each step forward that allows us to "simplify" life, by relinquishing another piece of our freedom, and especially that of future generations. Will there come a day when we will try to resist? My 3rd chronicle will deal with this question….
