The End of Privacy

One of the current national debates is over the tradeoff between security and privacy. In the case of the elderly, however, some loss of privacy seems to be inevitable so that they may live independently as long as possible. Three examples of how technology helps seniors who live alone [bold added]:

Next month, [Iggy] Fanlo and his team will launch Lively, a sensor-based technology that tracks an elderly person's movements at home. Small wireless sensors are placed around the house -- on the bathroom door, refrigerator or pill box -- and count on average how many times the pill box opens or how long the elderly person stays in the bathroom. Lively figures out the person's daily routine, and if something goes awry -- maybe the pill box opens only once, but the medication has three daily doses -- the company will alert family, friends and neighbors with text messages and emails. [snip]

Home repairs can also cause anxiety for older people living alone and their caregivers. ClubLocal, a free Web service and mobile app that launched in parts of the Bay Area this month, does background checks on plumbers, handymen and electricians, and sets the price of each service to prevent dishonest markups, said founder Zorik Gordon. [snip]

Advances in wireless technology are helping seniors get medical care without leaving home. Oakland software company Sovran is working with an Asian health tech company, ConnectedHealth, to provide technology that remotely measures a patient's glucose levels and other vitals, reducing visits to the doctor and hospital stays.

Deeply personal, round-the-clock information will be gathered on senior citizens, who either by themselves or through relatives agreed to submit it voluntarily in order to maintain their health and independence. The information, once collected, cannot be walled off from prying eyes, as recent events have shown.

In the opinion of your humble observer, most people will accede to the loss of privacy in favor of other priorities. The end of privacy---and liberty---will occur with a whimper, not a bang. © 2013 Stephen Yuen