An article from the International Herald Tribune today discusses a deal between the US and EU on sharing personal data between law enforcement agencies, “including credit card transactions, travel histories and Internet browsing habits”.

Normally an article like this gets a quick pass over, an obligatory “That’s fucked up!” comment and escapes the mind within minutes, maybe a day.  But something strikes a chord here in regards to the possible consequences of a move like this.  Sharing is caring, right?

The way authorities say they are using this data, and I would assume this is true at least 95% of the time, if not more, is for crime-stopping; apprehending a wanted criminal for the sake of the public at large, right?  The FBI talks to Interpol, they both want a bad guy, and work together to find him.  I would assume that as a US citizen, if I’m caught speeding in a car somewhere in Europe, the police officer couldn’t look up my US driving history and see that I have outstanding parking tickets, and possibly a warrant for my arrest.  Although that may not be the case now, anyone can make the argument that it’s only a matter of time until our private data is available to any government agency in the world, from Embassy’s all the way down local police.

Of course, this kind of scenario makes hiding in remote parts of the world a much more difficult venture.  Take Andy Dufresne, who found a new life for himself on a coastal town, presumably somewhere in Mexico.  In the story, we are left to assume that he lives the rest of his life in anonymity, living as a free man without fear of being caught.  But if he were to escape in twenty, thirty years from today, the possibilities of his not being caught could be severly limited.

As technology continues to envelope our lives, it makes a potential escape that much more difficult because you would really need to live “off the grid”… or have a friend that knows how to create legends and the documents to prove them.  No longer can you daydream about knocking off that liquor store down the street with your old man’s .22 for what’s in the register, then high-tailing it to Fiji with your cash and a life of beaches, fruity drinks and relaxation.  Why?  Because you’ll always be looking over your shoulder for that one guy who knows you frequent stileproject.

(via U.S. and EU near deal on sharing data)