NDP asks for passwords, encourages Big Brother image
By Harvey Oberfeld
Who’s advising the NDP? Vladimir Putin?
It is amazing: just as more and more centre of the road uncommitted voters are thinking positively of the party as an alternative to the Liberals, the NDP moves to scare them away.
Comrade Big Brother wants to know your social network passwords.
Sure, right now, it’s only the passwords of those running for its leadership that party brass are demanding. But we all know where that can lead if it goes ahead, is accepted as a right, and the party ever takes power.
Today, it’s leadership candidates; tomorrow what will stop them from demanding the social networks passwords of all candidates for top government jobs? Or even minor ones? Or teachers? Or police officers? Lawyers? Judges? University students? Or journalists? (Just for legitimate security reasons of course!)
It is part of the very inherent nature of power: to expand the thin edge of any wedge to increase knowledge, control and restriction of those within grasp.
Marketing companies did it with those discount cards they began issuing decades ago, just to qualify us for special discounts, right?
Now they monitor our every purchase preference and can even instantly print out on our sales receipts coupons to be used next time for a house brand version of a product we have bought–to influence our choices and increase their profits and de facto control of our shopping.
Imagine what governments and politicians would do with the same power!
In fact. we’ve already seen it.
Years ago, we all sympathized with arguments that we had to protect restaurant and bar workers from second hand smoke: it seeme quite reasonable to restrict smoking to “special” isolated inside smoking rooms, and then only on outside patios. Individual rights gave way to the collective good. Sound familiar, poliical science students?
Of course, time has shown that was a classic thin edge of the wedge: smoking rooms soon were regulated out of existence; smoking on outside patios was then ruled illegal; then smoking within many, many metres of any doorway was prohibited ,and finally, even smoking ANYWHERE is a public park or place became a crime, even if you are alone, a mile from anyone else.
The thin edge of the wedge became a Big Brother smashing of unpopular rights, backed by a majority who did not understand that rights of minorities consuming legal products, even those we personally dislike, should also be protected ..if excercised in areas when and where others are not adversely affected.
So petty dictators, disrespecting minority rights and backed by an acquiescent majority, let some of our democratic rights be extinguished in public. And some would even go further once they can… letting the government make smoking in your own home illegal. Except bud, of course!
It’s all for the public good, they say. But where does Big Brother stop?
I, and I’m sure many looking at the NDP, worry about how democratic and freedom-loving the NDP really are? Or do they support the rights of the state to social engineer? To restrict? To bring us closer to a Big Brother state, a la Soviet Union?
I’m sure Putin would see absolutely nothing wrong with the NDP or Liberal or any other party brass’ demanding the social network passwords of leadership candidates, or anyone else for that matter.
But I can assure you IT IS THE THIN EDGE OF THE WEDGE!
The advocates will always deny it, but I have no doubt that if the right to have social network passwords is adopted, enforced and accepted…the demand for e-mail passwords as well will be not long off …in party leaderships and eventually government positions, as well.
And what is espeically concerning is thatr, among the NDP’s leadership candidates, only Nicholas Simons has stood up to the party bullies …refusing to go along with their freedom-crushing demand for his social network passwords.
BRAVO Simons!
And shame on the other candidates who have not stood strongly against this attack on privacy. If they are so willing to compromise their own independence and rights, it makes me worry how easily they will trample mine…or yours…if they attain power.
For the overall public good, of course.
Harv Oberfeld is a retired journalist and blogger. This column originally appeared in his blog, Keeping it Real. Reprinted with Mr. Oberfeld’s kind permission.
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