Every once in a while a situation occurs that reminds me of just how thin our privacy bubbles are as Americans. Not only does the government have the ability to wiretap our phones or access info from our computers, but now it can track where we like to party.

That’s right. The Utah State Senate issued a proposal to scan the IDs of every person, which would then be entered into a database, according to ABC News. This information would be collected by every bar in the state and then given to law enforcement officials.

The governor of Utah has openly stated that he does not like this proposal at all. However, it’s the fact that it’s simply being put on the table that really irks me. How much of our personal information can the government access? Truly, it could easily find our whereabouts without needing records from the bars we hop between. Facebook already gives out our personal information to advertisers so that we can see the ads they want us to see. You’ve got to wonder how much effort it takes for the government to really access information about where we like to drink with friends.

My roommate made a funny comment the other day as we were filling out our petitions for graduation: “The thing I learned the most in college was my social security number.”

I laughed at the time, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized it was true. Our social security numbers are everywhere around this campus.

On a small basis, is this issue really a big deal? No, absolutely not. Who cares if Yahoo! tells me where I should look for that new handbag judging from the places I’ve shopped before? I sure don’t. However, when it becomes a large-scale operation (especially one that involves the government), I get a little suspicious. I guess I should just be thankful that I’m not a troublemaker. That way, the government shouldn’t really care what bars I visit.