Slash Privacy Watch's Journal: The Final Step: Privacy Advocacy

What can I do to help?

Before we talk about what you should do, let's talk about what you shouldn't do:

• DO NOT just fire off an angry email to Rob. The old adage that "nobody has ever accomplished anything with email" holds especially true with Rob Malda, who probably gets more email than anyone on the Internet and is overworked to boot. A boatload of "you hypocrite why are you profiling us delete my account you jerks" emails to CmdrTaco are going to achieve exactly the opposite effect that privacy advocates would like to achieve, and makes our cause look immature to boot. Rob & Jeff have worked extraordinarily hard to make this site what it is; abusing them is likely to achieve nothing.
• DO NOT simply conclude that inaction will make everything better. Even if you never post to or read Slashdot again, they already have a detailed Customer Profile on you. It is their Intellectual Property, and VA Linux, Inc. isn't going to relinquish it just because you've stopped reading Slashdot.

That said, what is to be done? To achieve change, it is necessary to apply the tried and true formula: Politely state your concerns, in writing, to as large an audience as you can address. In this case, this means writing a letter to VA Linux, writing a letter to the Electronic Frontier Foundation, writing a letter to EPIC (the Electronic Privacy Information Center), or maybe even writing a letter to someone at Slashdot, though please consider the latter option with the utmost discretion. Please be polite, and speak your mind. For reference, we have included Slashdot Privacy Watch's "Open Letter to VA Linux Concerning Privacy on Slashdot". Please do not just copy this letter and send your own version; instead, write up your own concerns and mail them to the appropriate parties. Form letters do not have the same impact as a heartfelt and earnest request.

An Open Letter to VA Linux Concerning Privacy on Slashdot

To whom it may concern,
      It has come to our attention that Slashdot is building a detailed database of every visitor and user of Slashdot. This database includes, among other personal details, an address history which permanently records every IP address assosciated with every Slashdot user and comment for all time. We are concerned that this database is a signifigant Intellectual Property asset that may be abused in the event of a sale of Slashdot by VA Linux to a third party.

      In addition, we feel that keeping a permanent and indelible record of every IP address used to post every Anonymous comment on Slashdot erases whatever hopes of anonymity that endangered or threatened users may have had. To name two examples, Chinese dissidents and corporate insiders can have no expectation of anonymously revealing civil rights violations and corporate abuse.

      It is our hope that given these concerns, VA Linux or Slashdot may choose to provide an opt-out option to users, whereby users could choose not to be tracked and profiled if they so request. Some discussion has been made of a Slashdot subscription service; perhaps one revenue stream for Slashdot would be to sell Privacy Rights. For a low yearly fee, a user could purchase the right not to be tracked, profiled, and logged by IP address.

      Whatever steps are taken, it is our hope that Slashdot will address the current privacy concerns in public to allay our fears and to promote open discussion.

      Thanks again for creating one of the most popular sites on the Internet, and all the best.

    -The Slashdot Privacy Watch Team