In light of the big news in the UK this week about the security breach with personal information by the government, I found this video via B.L. Ochman's blog and it's worth a 3 minute or so listen.

I had a chat backstage at Web 2.0 with Tim O'Reilly recently about how much has changed over the last few years in terms of people sharing data online - personal data specifically. We were chatting about Software + Services and how to build some of the most compelling services demands accurate personal data. Back in 2001 Microsoft had a project known as Hailstorm which ultimately never saw the light of day as many people were concerned with the privacy issues - admittedly some of that may have been more down to Microsoft than privacy per-se but when Tim and I spoke about it, we talked about how much has changed since then. Led by Generation Y, who seems carefree about sharing their lives on the web, I suspect many of us are opening up what we may have previously guarded in a rush to stay in the vanguard of technology.  I've tweaked my own profile on Facebook over time as I've become more cautious about sharing what's out there.

on a related note, check out Build Your Brand in Bits and Bytes: Building Your Personal Brand Online - your next job depends on it