Privacy - and your phone !

A new Federal law is in the works, designed to allow the police to access the phone records of those designated a " missing person ".

The civil liberties people claim this will be a gross invasion of privacy, but there are valid arguments from opposing points of view.

There is no doubt that scrutiny of phone records give a more intimate view of a missing persons lifestyle. It records who they phoned - and who phoned them and this can be very useful for determining a motive for a disappearance.

A police investigation of a missing person involves the use of public money - and it can be very expensive. Anything that swiftly - and economically - brings such an investigation to a successful close should be welcomed.

The problem arises when the " missing person " simply does not want to be found. Some people " disappear " because of a fear factor and being discovered can actually put them in physical danger. We all have a right to privacy and in some cases a person making a " missing person " call may have an ulterior motive for so doing. Starting a police search may not have an altruistic motive.

The bill will probably pass - and that will be just one more advance in lack of personal privacy in this electronic age. If anyone doubts that they do not appear on the radar available to public access - simply Google your name on the Internet and see what is already in the public domain.

And compare that with what we cheerfully post on Facebook !