[Air-l] Facebook protests

[Alex Halavais]

Michael

On 9/6/06, Michael Zimmer <michael.zimmer at nyu.edu> wrote:
> However, this is less about users not realizing that their personal
> information is public in the first place, and more about how changing
> the norms of flow of that information disrupts the "contextual
> integrity" within the Facebook community.
>

I think that there is something to this, but it doesn't change my
opinion about the users' naivete. I think your explanation is
certainly descriptive, while my condemnation is in some way
prescriptive. In other words, I see that this is likely where their
expectation of privacy comes from (and I think you could say the same
about the AOL data), but I don't think it is a reasonable expectation.

Leaving aside whether all information "wants to be free," the idea
that private information is no longer private when shared in networked
digital venues seems to me to be pretty central to information
literacy. In the absence of explicit indications otherwise--and even
with such promises--when volunteering information online you should
expect your grandchildren and their entire generation will have access
to that information.

Alex

-- 


--
//
// This email is
// [X] assumed public and may be blogged / forwarded.
// [ ] assumed to be private, please ask before redistributing.
//
// Alexander C. Halavais
// Social Architect
// http://alex.halavais.net
//