U.S. Embassy Manila is Updating Its American Citizen Registration Database.

Please Register Now!

That’s the header on an email I got today. And here is the webpage I’m being directed to.

Their privacy statement is interesting - there is no privacy. They can use this information for almost anything, and specifically they can use it "for law enforcement and administration purposes."

There are no downside repercussions to this for me personally (if you have read my Disclosure, you should already be presuming that). Do I want my government to efficiently use it’s best efforts to assist me in a disaster or  emergency? You’re damn right, I do. And I will be glad to see them.

But this is just plain wrong. This information should be used only for it’s stated primary purpose:

To notify U.S. citizens in the event of a disaster, emergency or other crisis, and for evacuation coordination.

At least my Government is up front about this.  At least they have a privacy statement and at least it is very clear.

So do I register or not?

I can’t help but think about what I wrote a few days ago quoting MIT Professor John Ehrenfeld:

We can actually begin today by first “bringing destructive patterns into view, raising them from the unconscious corner to which they have been sent hopefully out of view like a poor relative to be shunned.”

Constructive approaches “begin with responsible, ethical choices in every day life that help develop right habits and mind sets.”

So what’s the "responsible, ethical choice" here? Blog about it and then go register?  There’s something not quite satisfying about that.