Trust Me, I'm a Website

In: Index on censorship, Volume 36, Issue 4, p. 116-121

Abstract

The ease with which personal information can be accessed online poses critical challenges with respect to protection of one's privacy. Just as mobile phones ruin any story that depends on keeping the protagonists out of touch with each other, any plot that relies on concealment is undermined by the ease with which online archives are available. Recent moves to improve the way major search engines index newspaper archives have brought old stories to the surface, exposing the past in unexpected ways and even creating a new ethical dilemma for editors. This sort of unanticipated exposure is likely to grow in importance once television news is added to the online mix, and video and audio searches make it possible to find every clip featuring a place or a person. Those who feature in the news, or who put detailed information about themselves on Facebook or MySpace, run the risk of having that information used against them in some way, perhaps to deny them a job, university place or even a public appointment or elected position. All these trends necessitate fighting hard to ensure that openness, honesty and respect for the individual remain at the centre of politics and philosophy. The technologies being developed today do not have these values at their core, so it will be a hard struggle, with no guarantee of success. Adapted from the source document.