Progressives Protect Our Privacy

Progressive activists do a great deal of work to protect Americans from the abuses of the right wing government established under George W. Bush, with the help of right wing politicians in Congress. However, their work goes far beyond just anti-Republican activism. The same principles that lead progressive activists to defend Americans from government abuse also motivate them to work against abuses by big businesses as well.

Consider the work of MoveOn in confronting the abusive policies of Facebook, a huge social networking site. Facebook doesn’t just allow its users to network with each other, it seems. It also enables businesses to get a piece of the action, using software to track Facebook users as they travel the web even after they leave the Facebook site. Facebook tracks purchases people make on web sites that pay Facebook a special fee. Then, the users’ names are used, without their permission, in promotional messages by companies who pay Facebook to get the information. Facebook also sends unsolicited messages to everyone in users’ networks, revealing what users are buying when they’re not on the Facebook site.

If Facebook users want to stop this intrusion into their privacy, they have to opt out by using an inconspicuous check box when they aren’t even expecting it, when they’re shopping. There is no all-inclusive opt out option. Instead, Facebook members have to opt out every time they make a purchase, over and over again. If they fail to opt out just once, their privacy is lost.

The progressive activists at MoveOn are on the job, engaging in a campaign to convince Facebook to reform its activities by replacing the repeated need to opt out with an opt in system that allows people to have their private information spread around the web if they want, but doesn’t start the process without their permission.

This activism, made without any partisan effort at political gain, is emblematic of a fundamental progressive value: The larger systems of our society ought to serve the interests of the people, and not the other way around. In 2008, we need to elect a President who shares this perspective on the relationship of the individual to society.

(Sources: CNet News, November 20, 2007; MoveOn Petition)