I assume you heard about Echelon. The project to tap into all our communication and scan for keywords for the safety of us all, managed by our favourite intelligence agencies.

I like that idea a lot. What I don't like is that they are hiding the results. I want to see what their software finds when they are tapping into all my communication. Am I an enemy of the state? Unlikely, but if I try I want to see how I am doing.

For those who like to play with their privacy, you set up an SMTP server where all the mail that registered users send and receive passes. The server scans this e-mail for keywords from a standard list or a personalised list. For each user a special URL is given where everyone can read your e-mail. Not every message, that's too boring, just the statistics. How many times the word sex, privacy, password, mp3, etc.

This is entertaining in many ways. It gives you a way to show your personality without any extra effort. It shows other sides of yourself than through your webcam. Less labour intensive than imood.com. For advertisers it's also interesting. If a user is mentioning RAM and iBook suddenly he is apparently shopping around for that. Make him an offer he can't refuse. Personalised SPAM! Finally.

Outgoing e-mail is rated higher than incoming off course. I don't want to be associated with the content of all the SPAM messages I receive.

ReindeR
-- rrr, Sep 21 2000

Echelon keywords http://www.nettime....99911/msg00036.html
A funny e-mail with keywords that someone came up with which might be filtered out by Echelon. [rrr, Sep 21 2000, last modified Oct 21 2004]

Eudora Moodwatch http://www.eudora.c...ures/moodwatch.html
monitoring e-mail in the mailclient for 'bad' words [rrr, Oct 17 2004, last modified Oct 21 2004]

My imood http://www2.imood.c...i?email=rrr@dds.nl/
a nice mood indicator that you can put on your website [rrr, Oct 21 2004]

Even though I think you're a pinko commie [The last 3 letters in ReindeR are RED]I'm voting for you.
-- thumbwax, Sep 21 2000


I like your expression "play with privacy". Expresses my sentiments in a gnutshell. Thanks for posting.
-- LoriZ, Jun 20 2001


If you live in the UK you could hit the organisation of your choice with the data protection act. Pay them a nominal fee and they have to tell you all the data they have on you. Then publish it, of course.
-- Loris, Jan 07 2003


// Personalized SPAM! //

Anything that encourages companies to pester me is a bad thing. Sorry, but fishbone for you. If this was a private piece of software it might be interesting, although i tend to know what I type anyway.

I wonder if the knowledge that this system was running would have an effect on what people type. I know several people who have a habit of adding "bomb president allah echelon echelon echelon" to email just to annoy the people reading it.
-- sadie, Jan 09 2003



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