[COLUG] Mail server advice

[Aaron Howard]

On Jan 25, 2008 11:10 AM, Scott Merrill <skippy at skippy.net> wrote:
> >
> >         Data aggregation involving every facet of your life doesn't
> > discomfort you?
>
> Not particularly, because it's quite clearly not "every facet" of my
> life.  Moreover, it's one of the risks of having a presence online.  I
> know what data I'm comfortable revealing online, and I'm mostly
> comfortable with the fact that a determined agent can piece together a
> lot more about me if they spend the time and energy.
>
> I talk about my kids on my blog.  I post pictures of my kids on my
> Flickr account.  I know a few people that shudder at the thought of
> making public any data about their family.  I don't share their fears.
>  Different strokes for different folks.
>

A further note of interest to me personally (nobody else may take
comfort in it) is that the FBI, et. al., is already awash in data.
They have more data than they can comb through.  The more information
is gathered into central databases, the more likely that data will
grow old and become "wrong".  (eg., A lot of credit records are loaded
with crap.)  I know there is a downside to the government relying on
databases full of inaccurate info but there's a plus as well: soon the
signal-to-noise ratio of the data collected in these databases will
approach the level of what SETI has to deal with and finding anything
of interest by ne'erdowells will be like searching for E.T. in all
that hiss.