The new consumer revolution is products that know where you are. And can tell other people. Cars. Cell phones. And so forth.

And maybe some of those companies will guard your privacy. Well, as much as they can. Which is less than you'd think these days -- some financial institutions, for instance, have a fairly long tradition of safeguarding the privacy of their customers, but the Patriot Act put a crimp in that, by giving government the power to obtain records from all financial institutions without a warrant. Powers which now apply to the cell phone companies and automobile manufacturers as well, after our Republican overlords redefined the phrase "financial institution" to mean any establishment whatever that exchanges useful goods or services for money...