The Obama administration announced on June 25th that government agencies may begin tracking traffic and behavioral data online in order to better target information and services for the people who need them. What???

That’s right, the government will begin tracking your online behavior on their websites.  That sounds harmless enough doesn’t it?  The stated purpose for this tracking is to provide better services for your when you are using their websites.

Sorry, but I’m not comfortable with this.  Here’s why: They already have databases with a lot of information about us.  This is not paranoia, it’s just part of living in any country.  You fill out forms, you pay taxes, you have government IDs; all of this leaves a trail.  When you tie in all the pieces of the trail, it paints a very detailed picture of you and all your activities.

For most people, what the government knows about them is not a problem.  I’m not really concerned about what they know about me.  I gave them most of that information.  However, the question should be: “where does that end?”  At some point, enough is enough.  One day a law will be passed that will enable the government to do something intrusive.  At that point, they will already have the data from everything you’ve done up to that point.  I know, I sound a little paranoid.

It’s just my belief that sooner or later, someone in our government even with good intentions, will cross the line to invasion of privacy.  It just all feels a little too creepy.