Who needs this? That was my first thought… seriously, are we taking things too far with a Bill of Rights for the social web? On first glance, everything that Scoble blogged about sounds like pure common sense. Even he says most people haven’t cared in the past and neither has he, but maybe we’re being all too trusting…
I went in with the naive assumption that I owned my own information. I posted it on the web to begin with, so it must be mine, right? But I started reading comment after comment from his readers–problems with Facebook and Google, information saved and stored away even when you want it deleted, and online social sites that are using personal information for their needs, not mine. So, what’s a girl to do?
Well, I don’t think this Bill of Rights will go anywhere soon. At this point, it’s just wishful thinking… something to think about. It would take too long for anything to happen in a Congressional sense. Maybe companies may voluntarily agree to the terms, but I also doubt that it will happen anytime soon.
So I’m left with the realization that the social web is here to stay. I can either join it or go live in isolation in Idaho (not a bad place to do that… believe me!). If the only way to participate is to take what exists now, I guess I’ll take it. Besides, there are new friends out there on the web that I have yet to meet.
February 21, 2008 at 12:59 am
Maybe a Bill of Rights is not such a far fetched idea. I agree with Miss Minty that an actual Bill, in form and function, is somewhere in the near to distant future. But consider the environment we live in now. Sites like Facebook and MySpace are booming businesses with people signing up every day. The whole basis of sites like these and the Internet in general is the sharing of information. Information is power, and with power, comes exploitation. That alas is human nature. Identity theft is the latest buzz word, so common place that one takes no notice of it until it happens to them. The very foundations of HIPAA were created because one can face discrimination based on their health. All of this because information is readily available, ready to be used by the guy sitting next to you. Maybe a social web Bill of Rights should have the force of law behind it. Maybe our government and other like minded governments should make this priority instead of the minor conflict in the Middle East. Maybe millions of people are reading what I’m writing right now. Maybe.
February 21, 2008 at 1:55 pm
You are spot on… your very real concerns are part of the reason I dragged my heels so long about going online for my bill payments. I didn’t want my personal information, checking account numbers, and more floating along in cyberspace. But sometimes convenience rules and that’s what happened to me. It all may turn around and bite me in the ass one day, but for now, online is becoming ingrained into the business world.
And more and more businesses are taking themselves and their transactions online. On my ride into work today, WTOP radio reported that lawmakers in Virginia are considering legislation that would charge people $5 to go to the DMV in person for registration and license renewals. They want those tasks to be online or by mail to save money.
More alarming this morning, Google is teaming up with the Cleveland Clinic to test a new online database health records service. Yes convenient, but do you really want all that information in the hands of one company, and online where one hacker could wreak havoc on your life and your health…? Read the story at: http://www.infoworld.com/article/08/02/21/Google-to-manage-health-records-for-Cleveland-Clinic_1.html
February 25, 2008 at 3:34 pm
Hi Misty,
I’m with you on the current need for a Bill of Rights but sometimes the privacy issue really strikes a cord. Consider this: consumers don’t own much of their transaction properties. In fact, when you sign your credit card charges at a POS terminal, the company that owns the terminal becomes the owner of your signature. And, they can sell it as “Beth’s signature” and you can’t dispute it, because you don’t own it.
This is just one of the practical issue Congressed missed when they passed the last big privacy bill in 1998.
;-(