Buy me some peanuts and...data privacy?
A-Rod should have just used Wii-Fit. Seriously. It worked for Padres reliever Heath Bell. The pitcher credits his cartoon-icon-self for the change."[The game] said I was obese," Bell said. "If you're obese, it makes (your character on screen) obese. I was disappointed that I was that big. I literally took the game to heart."
The only differene between A-Rod today and A-Rod three weeks ago (assuming he hasn't juiced since 2003, as he says) is that now the world is privvy to some insider info. Same guy, just more exposed and a different public perception because of a data breach. Next thing you know he'll cancel his facebook account and in six years, that data will be on the back pages, too. And I'll be OK with that, too.
Should I feel guilty for cheering on a breach of privacy? Should I feel guilty about hoping the anonymity of 103 other guys is also violated, and sooner rather than later? After all, these guys are the ones who committed the heinous act - more heinous, to me, than the people responsible for the breach. This isn't hackers getting at a retailer's credit card data, mind you. The data isn't inaccurate - it's just that it paints a different picture of the individual than the individual might have of themselves, which is great when your Mii avatar gets you to drop a few pounds, but I guess it's a real bummer when it keeps you out of the Hall of Fame. There's just a thin line between transparency and invasion of privacy, I suppose.
