Have you ever wondered how hard it would be to find out private information about your self? Everywhere we look on the internet there are advertisements that state for only a few dollars you can find out anything on anybody. I was wondering about this and decided to take a closer look.

We know that a lot of information can be found out about you, as you surf the net. Everywhere you, go you leave a record. It is very easy to trace your comings and goings. If you go on to a sites that might embarrass you at a later date, you better think about your actions before you do them. Of course there are ways around this, but many of these methods will keep your activities secret only if there are no legal efforts to trace them. I am talking about proxy servers. A proxy server is one that keeps your surfing identity secret by having you go through many different servers before you reach your destination. If you read the small print with the online servers they state that they will have to release your data if required by law.

As I had said, there are other services advertised, that state they can find out anything about anybody and for only $39.95 you can get this info. Can they really do this? I am sure that they can find out quite a lot, but maybe not everything, if someone was very careful. Even medical records are accessible under certain conditions. One of the big dangers to privacy are the companies that are compiling a data base on their employees. This data base could be sold to others. "The technology is developing at the speed of light, but laws that protect our privacy are in the Stone Age," says Barry Steinhardt, with the American Civil Liberties Union. "Over time, the databases will be used for wholly unrelated purposes. There's no law that an employer can't sell the data." How would you like all your data, including your social security number, name, address, telephone number and other information that you may not want others to know about, being sold to some sleazy outfit that would use it in ways that would not be in your best interest? I'm sure you wouldn't care for it and neither would I.

Lets talk about the physical invasion of privacy. Did you know that the government can now monitor every phone call anywhere in the world if it so chooses? We have that kind of equipment. Do you think that you are safe behind the walls of your house? You are not. There is now equipment out there that can pick up your speech without planting an electronic bug. It is aimed at the windows and it can pick up the minute vibration to the glass that you speech causes and amplify it, thus recording your speech from the outside. As bad as this is, your every action can be seen from the outside also. Some new equipment on the market allows images to be taken right through the walls. It measures body heat and can create a movie of everyone's actions inside. This can be very embarrassing in certain instances. New mini cameras mounted on insect sized robots and in some cases even real insects have been perfected. These creatures can sneak around without detection in most cases.

Sony now makes a filter that can be put onto a camcorder. This filter allows the operator to take movies that will allow the camera to actually see through your clothes. You are also able to take movies in the dark. The filter is a special IR pass filter. People could be taking movies of you on the street using this filter and you would never know. It is ironic, everyone is worried about the new airport machines that see through clothes, but they are handled by members of the same sex. We should be a lot more worried about what this camera equipment is being used for since anyone can buy it. Phone equipment that can intercept any cellular call is available to all. Not only is the call intercepted but the number called is decoded. A machine that can decode numbers called is only $219. You can buy a device that operates on a thin fiber optic cable and has an eyepiece on the end for only $580. You take the cable and slide it under a door and you can see inside as if you were on the other side of the door. Cell phone cameras can be an intrusion, especially if used in an inappropriate place. Many places have banned them from events involving children who have to change clothes, such as swimming meets.

When I was a kid they used to advertise X-Ray glasses in the back of comic books. They showed someone holding up their hand while he wore these special X-ray glasses and he was looking through the skin. They also said you could see through clothing. Well that was all bunk, but today there are a special type of sunglasses you can buy, they are more of an electronic goggle, that advertise "See through some type of clothing material (mostly swim wear and many types of synthetic materials". I can't vouch for the effectiveness of these goggles but they are sold at spy equipment stores and I have to assume that they work as advertised. I have seem photos taken through these goggles and believe me, you wouldn't want it to be your photo.

So where are we today with the privacy issue? I think we are in big trouble. If we discount the government agencies, this still leaves many private citizens and companies that are out to get as much information on us as they can get. In some cases it is to sell the info to other companies but even worse are the individuals that want our info to steal our identity. Identity theft is on the rise all over. Once it happens to you it could take up to a year to straighten out everything again. What is the answer? I don't really know but I suspect that setting mandatory sentences for those who use spy equipment on ordinary citizens would be a start