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Air Date: April 9, 2013
Host: Jim Schneider
Guest: Dr. Katherine Albrecht
Dr. Katherine Albrecht is a privacy expert a consumer activist, award- winning author, and broadcaster who helped develop startpage.com, the world’s most private search engine. She co-authored the bestselling RFID book, “Spychips: How major corporations and government plan to track your every move with RFID” and “The Spychips Threat: Why Christians should resist RFID and electronic surveillance.” Her efforts have put an end to human micro-chipping trials since 2007 and slowed many other invasive programs. Katherine has authored legislation and testified before the FTC and lawmakers around the world.
Americans are under near constant surveillance. According to Katherine, We’re contributing to databases and the federal government basically taps into them. This is happening because our technical tools, like computers and smart phones, have a dark side as these tools have the ability to be monitored and as we use them we leave information that can be viewed by others.
The tracking of Internet searches is one example. For the last 10 years Google has amassed the largest dossier of personal information on individuals ever collected in the history of mankind. They reasoned that if they create a small window and put it on everyone’s computer, then all individuals who they could not get information on would log on everyday and contribute information themselves via their browsing habits.
In response, Katherine helped to develop startpage.com, a private portal that allows you to access Google results without ever making direct contact with Google. It’s free and financed by ads.
E-Mail is different. Katherine described how Google is giving you a free service that costs them about $5 a month. What you may not know is that if you read the fine print, they have the right to read everything you send and receive.
Radio frequency Identification (R.F.I.D.) continues to be a concern. This technology involves the use of tiny microchips connected to miniature antennas. These chips can be woven into fabric, embedded into the soles of shoes, pressed into I.D. cards or even injected into flesh. The problem with R.F.I.D. technology is how it’s being used with enhanced driver’s licenses. These licenses allow you to cross the border into Canada or Mexico without a passport. The chip embedded in these licenses uses inventory tracking technology of the kind that retailers want to use. This means that individuals with enhanced driver’s licenses could have their personal information read by readers placed in various parts of a retail store.
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