Ethics Newsline®

“Our story is man bites dog. Everybody, including our magazine, has been harping on the erosion of privacy and the fears of a database nation. It is a totally legit fear. But they make our lives unbelievably easier as well, in terms of commercial transactions, credit, you name it.”

– Nick Gillespie, editor in chief of Reason, discussing his magazine’s use of database technology to customize the covers of 40,000 copies of the magazine’s June issue — putting a satellite photograph of each subscriber’s neighborhood on their cover, with their home circled in red. Observers say the stunt highlights the loss of privacy and invasiveness of modern technology while also hinting at a future filled with customized publishing that fills your magazines with ads and articles geared to your specific interests. (“Putting 40,000 Readers, One by One, on a Cover,” New York Times, Apr. 5)