SEE Magazine
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Opinion Letter BY SEE READER Editor, SEE: I always knew the government had secret files on us. As sure as they’re zapping me with gamma rays through my lightbulb socket at night, they know my every move and have engaged in the logistical nightmare of cataloguing it all and saving it to hard copy in a manila folder. What surprises me is that other people were shocked by the news. Exactly what did they think their social insurance number was for? Every time someone gets a job, takes out a student loan, or even joins a little league team, they give out their SIN, which is a numerical tracking device. What the government has on me could include my vital statistics, my high school and university transcripts, every job I’ve held (legally) and how much I made, any loan I’ve taken out, any grant I’ve made use of, any criminal activities I’ve engaged in and for which I was found guilty (like streaking), and even information on my health (as Alberta Health Care would be tracking my use of medical services, including several enemas). To be perfectly honest though, none of this bothers me (so long as they don’t go through it and pencil in personal comments like "that is the dumbest thing I’ve ever seen" in the margins. What does bother me is that despite the fact they must have spent a fortune to create this system and a king’s ransom to keep it up to date, I still can’t see what purpose it would serve. In essence, it’s just another government white elephant. Legitimately, the system could curb government fraud, since all federal transactions would be routed to one spot and checked against one another. However, the person responsible for it is also the same person responsible for the $1-billion job creation fiasco, so any faith I would have in that scenario is dead. I saw Human Resources Minister Jane Stewart on ITV a few days ago and she said (with this stupid grin on her face no less), that the files served no sinister purpose and we could have access if we went through the Privacy Act (like a stranger patting a child on the head and telling them the candy comes with no strings attached). Another question that stalks my gamma-ray-fried mind is why Human Resources took so long to mention the files. I mean, there are two possibilities; the database is new, or it’s been around a while but they didn’t want to mention it to us. After all, if no one knows about it, no one will ask to see it. I also wonder who has access to said files. There’s no problem with a few uptight, overpaid clerks rummaging through my personal life (who knows, it may be the only thing that turns them on), but if large corporations are using my data to target me for a product, thereby making money off me, it concerns me. Not only would the federal government be taking our taxes, they would also be making money off the personal information we unknowingly paid them to collect. Data mining is a booming industry – just ask the Air Miles people. But since no one with an intact brain expects the government to fess up about details of the files, Alberta’s privacy commissioner is asking us all to demand access to our files. In order to do this, write the government a letter that includes your (real) name and your SIN. Send the letter to this address: Access to Information & Privacy Co-ordinator Human Resources Development Canada Place du Portage Phase IV, Level I 140 Promenade du Portage Hull, Québec K1A 0J9 Meanwhile, I’ll put my foil hat back on and start lighting some garlic on fire. Alyzza Hopfe Edmonton

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