I have always "worried" about what information is "out there" about me, in the magical world of Internet/computer and corporate data bases!Every time we have travelled to the states (perhaps a dozen or so trips) I get pulled by customs for the obligatory stony eyed passport check where I am escorted from the immigration line and asked to sit in silence in an anti room for half an hour or so.
I never have found out just why this happens.....I suspect that my details perhaps mirror someone elses, that may be of more interest to the security minded, but the experience of isolation always gets me to thinking ...... who knows what about me and why........... ?
The documentary Erasing David is a sobering look into how much personal information can be dug out by anyone with moderate intelligence, some time and just a name! The premise is that of a reality quiz show. A detective agency is given a name of film maker David Bond. Without any further information, the agency is given a month to locate David, who has essentially gone to ground in an effort to escape his pursuers.
Interspersed with the fascinating process of detection and chase, we see flashbacks filmed by David Bond, on what information he himself gleaned about himself from everyday companies such as Amazon, the Passport department and even facebook! The resulting mountains of paperwork are chilling to see, as page after page of David's life can be perused for "anyone" to view and indeed buy.
Erasing David is an interesting piece of work, but it is not an easy watch. David Bond is a particularly irritating "performer", who possesses an over abundance of geeky facial expressions and takes part in some very staged and over acted set pieces....I found the scenes between himself and his equally "odd" wife, particularly contrived, uncomfortable and just a little exasperating; so much so, that after half an hour or so, I was praying that the detective agency nab him as quickly as possible.
Of course the agency "catch" David at the end of the movie , however they do trap him by some very human detective work ( he attends his wife's anti natal class) rather than by some Big brother-ish technology or gadget gizmo's and the final lesson that there is too much information about all of us "out there" is a sobering and terribly frightening one.
I gave the film a 6/10. However the importance of its message I give 10/10
Humm perhaps I should not have been so personal...given the subject matter..I bet David has just printed himself a copy of my review
I think we'd be surprised as to what is 'out there' on all of us. They call it security and for the most part it's true but I do hope they are being monitored as well and not over-reacting in their exuberance to 'catch' someone.
ReplyDeleteScary subject, to be sure!
ReplyDeleteAlways unsettling to think about how much personal info is out there on the net on all of us now!
ReplyDeleteI don't know if they have it for other countries, but one that is causing headaches here, especially for law enforcement, is www.spokeo.com - it basically mines data, and then puts it on a page for everything and anything you want to know about a person, shopping habits, politics, you name it. Just type in your name, and bingo, all about you in a nice little package. The people that put it on were "nice" enough to remove home addresses, but pretty much everything else is fair game. If you check it, you can remove yourself, (I did.) It is sure a spooky thing to know how much about your personal info is out there...
ReplyDeleteCat
US officials are certainly a little intimidating (perhaps I - like many Brits - simply don't like the sight of guns in public) but generally polite, in a stern kind of way. But for their inclination to rudeness and "little man" obtuse officiousness, you can't beat UK airport "security".
ReplyDeleteMy last flight was a short, 25 minute "hop" to Douglas. Having passed through security at Manchester with no problems (despite a thorough search, including the partial disassembly of my laptop - fair enough, I suppose), the obtuse little man at Douglas made a "big deal" about throwing a near-empty (and, I should add, perfectly transparent) tube of hair gel. Pathetic - it quite clearly contained about 15mls of product (enough for the two day trip I was taking).
He exuded the smug "cleverness" that is sadly becoming commonplace in the UK at least. I truly felt sorry for him.
On another occasion, my 73 year old mother had a tiny pair of antique nail scissors (they belonged to her mother) similarly "confiscated" at Manchester airport. Quite what they expected this one-handed stroke-sufferer to do with the damn thing, I have no idea. My mother was terribly upset at both the sight of a family heirloom being cast disrespectfully into a bin, and at the vicarious (and again, smug) thrill that flashed across the operative's face.
I could go on, but this is turning into a rant....
Blimey it's like a Bourne film ! Scary to think " they " know so much ! A friend of the family is always carted off at airports as he looks like a terrorist - he's actually a director for the RSC !
ReplyDeleteStren literally translates as Strength - Roddy has put a bit of time into researching the boat's make as well as restoring her.
Nige
ReplyDeleteyou may enjoy this site!
http://rant-tirade.blogspot.com/
I agree the American security is fair yet VERY firm....but I do find their airport silence treatment all very .......Hollywood
[sighs]
ReplyDeleteNx
Interesting and disturbing concept. I often wonder/worry about that, too. I just read that the National Archives in the U.S. will begin capturing and storing all Tweets. Gah! Why? Glad I don't Twitter or Facebook or any of that other stuff, though I know that betrays me as an old fogey.
ReplyDeleteYou're a good movie reviewer, John.