Here's what Google keeps in my public profile:



That's instant access to almost a decade of tracking what and where I posted on Usenet and Google groups. Not to mention every search over the past 18..24 months,and my ISP being required by law to remember every IP address I've contacted in the past 6 months. It's a small step to permanent storage.

Imagine another Joseph McCarthy: have you or your parents or relatives ever...?

This isn't about "big brother" today. This is about creating the preconditions for a big brother scenario any time in the future.