Hollywood Rules

I recently read two new stories that got me a bit upset. The stories are unrelated, but tie together when you read them at the same time.

The first is a fascinating article by Pui-Wing Tam, a reporter for the Wall Street Journal who was one of nine reporters targeted for a covert investigation by Hewlett Packard. If you are not familiar with that on-going scandal, HP hired private investigators to dig into the personal lives of nine reporters and some of its own board members to see who was leaking information to the press. The investigation got way out of hand, and, fortunately for all of us, was uncovered by the press and made public.

It cost the Chairman of the Board of HP and others their jobs, not to mention a full congressional investigation and the filing of criminal charges in California. Some folks may wind up in jail. (If you would like to learn more about this whole drama, CNet has put together a special summary section listing all their stories about it).

Tam's story is her first-person account of all that has been revealed to her about how HP-hired investigators dug into her whole life (including her garbage) and managed to come up with a great deal of personal (and private) information about her. One of the methods they used to get the data was using the last four digits of her Social Security number to impersonate her, a technique known as "pretexting."

Now, here is where the the second story comes in. In the latest edition of Wired Magazine, there is a story telling how a recent bill in the California legislature to outlaw pretexting was killed by lobbyists of the Motion Picture Association of America.

Initially, the bill passed through three state Senate committees unobstructed and was passed unanimously in the Senate by a 30-0 vote. Then the Hollywood folks stepped in.

It seems they were afraid that outlawing pretexting would hinder their anti-piracy investigations. So, after a hard and furious campaign by their lobbyists, the measure was defeated in the California Assembly by a 33-27 vote. Once again, rights of the individual has been stomped on by private industry, with the help of those folks we elect to protect us.

I am not surprised anymore at these kinds of stories, but it still saddens me for our future and those generations that follow us. The technology age, while being so good in so many ways, has also ripped away at our privacy and our identities. It is so easy to find information about almost anyone these days that I would welcome any protection that can be given to protect us from personal intrusion. But, since we continue to elect the "best politicians that money can buy," I guess we should not expect much genuine help.

If you want to have a quick laugh, followed by an extended depression, read political humorist P.J. O'Rourke's book, "Parliament of Whores."