Internet of Things Demands New Social Contract To Protect Privacy

chicksdaddy writes "Changes brought about by the Internet of Things demands the creation of a whole new social contract to enshrine the right to privacy and prevent the creation of technology-fueled Orwellian surveillance states in which individual privacy protections take a back seat to security and 'control.' That, according to an opinion piece penned by the head of the European Commission's Knowledge Sharing Unit. Gérald Santucci argues that technology advances, including the advent of wearable technology and the combination of inexpensive, remote sensors and Big Data analytics threaten to undermine long-held notions like personal privacy and the rights of individuals."

yea, a social contract!

[khallow]

I think of all the current political terms out there, "social contract" has to be one of the most worthless. It's a "contract" that you "agree" with by not trying to destroy society hard enough. It doesn't actually exist in any concrete form. And the terms of the supposed contract mean whatever the speaker feels they mean at the moment.