Linkability?

So you post some information on your website, your blog, or post some pictures on the internet for friends to see. What happens to it then? Can this information be copied, re-used, modified? Yes it can. This is less than ideal as you soon lose control of your information and it is off into cyberspace somewhere for who knows what purpose.

Some would say this is no different to talking to someone and them talking to someone else and soon you do not know who is talking about you. This is OK if it is about things you are happy for people to talk about, in fact this can often be beneficial. But what if you share something personal with someone in confidence and others get to know. You feel your confidence and trust in that person has been breached and this is not OK.

How can we set up similar confidence rules for information we share on the internet to protect ourselves from the openness of the internet when we need it?

Some would say that if you do not want your personal information spread on the internet, then do not put it up there. That may be right sometimes (e.g. just do not put those pictures from the office party up on Facebook). Others will say, make sure you submit such information in password protected areas. But what is stopping other members copying that info and distributing it outside of the protected area.

There are times you need to share information on a confidential matter and discuss it with people you trust. Due to geographical location or the need for input from multiple people, the internet is often the best mechanism in which to do this.

So, in the mean time, you are left with using a search engine to see what is being said about you on the internet and how information about you is being treated, then trying to correct it. Perhaps what we need is some mechanism to link (Linkability?) us to our information or protect sensitive information we do post or submit to the internet. Is there such a mechanism?

Look forward to learning about what views people have in this regard and what initiatives are underway to move us forward in this area.