Your "Rights" Diminish in 2011...

As 2011 winds to a close its rather interesting to see what's happened to your "rights" under the current administration.  (Note that I mention the administration only because it was advertised to be better than the last one.)

Protect IP Act was moved through the Senate - Allows the government to seize web sites and accounts related to "dedicated to infringing activities."  For example, little Suzy running a music sharing BitTorrent.

The Patriot Act was extended allow more magic FISA court orders for "roving wiretaps," for Lone Wolf warrants, and a "business record" provision allowing the government to seize virtually any of your records: health, library, etc.   All without your knowledge.

The administration does not think you have privacy in "public places" and has worked toward this in 2011.

It has also worked hard with Hollywood on passing laws that allow it to force ISP to shutdown internet services to various types of "intellectual property infringers."

It has also extended the governments powers for seizing web domains.

Then there is support for SOPA and COICA.

The bottom line is that as this proceeds your "right to privacy" as it relates to your location (via a cell phone), your email, your internet service, etc. are all going to "support" monitoring by the government.  If something "naughty" is going on you'll have no rights and you'll lose whatever the government chooses to seize.

The good news is that "copyright trolls" were dealt a serious blow - but they are private.

Now none of this is new.  Most of it was invented elsewhere and elsewhen.

But the bottom line is now the juggernaut of taking away your "freedom" has extended to include, for example, those in Hollywood.

As technology advances this will only get worse, too.

There will be more knowledge about you and what you are doing and hence more to "take" in the name of public safety.

Its easy to imagine, for example, that once there is the notion that you, a criminal, using a cell phone for something illegal, for example infringing Hollywood content, then they can take more - for example "what" you did with the cellphone - who you called, where you went, what you did on web sites, and so on.

My question is why is this acceptable?

No "Occupy" attention to your dwindling rights.

No concern at all...

All the while these same laws are no doubt being used against those that protest because they can be without the knowledge of the "Occupiers."

No, the delta for your infringement of your rights has taken a decidedly large uptick this year.

Happy New Year.

I wonder what 2012 will bring in this department?