[Air-l] ethics of recording publicly observed interactions

ET et at tarik.com.au
Tue May 11 20:38:58 PDT 2004


Rod Carveth wrote...

"Jenny, I agree with you about the public nature of writing to a newspaper and the 
ambiguity of whether or not posting to a newsgroup is public."

Wow - this is the part that I do not get at all.

There seems to be an obsession with treating the internet as though it is some kind of 
"not in this world" experience.

The internet is merely another communications form, all it does is remove the middle man.
To suggest that there is somehow a different process going on with different moralities and rules is absurd.

Instead of writing a Letter to the Editor and being at the mercy of the editors whims a citizen can now chop out the editor and post their views to the world direct via a newsgroup, or website.
If an individual is stupid enough, or naive(inexperienced) enough to believe that posting in an open newsgroup forum is somehow a private communication, then I feel sorry for them but its not my responsibility!

There is no doubt in my mind that regardless of whether you are published in the paper, or you self publish in a newsgroup or website, you are indeed shouting to the world from the rooftops for all to hear.
The number of people listening or the number of people able to listen means nothing.
You shout - the world is free to listen, and observe and record !

Its obvious some do not agree with this, but does this make my viewpoint immoral or unethical, or does it simply mean that some of us disagree?


regards,
Eero Tarik
Adelaide










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