This is the chilling side of the digital footprint (something that everybody has) – chilling because the takeaway seems to be that nobody can make a mistake anymore. Web sites with names like BustedMugshots and JustMugshots claim they're doing society a favor by publishing photos that document arrests (not convictions) en masse. And when prospective employers or even people looking for a date or … [Read more...] about Aggregated extortion, digital footprints’ dark side & second chances
digital footprint
Of babies’ (then older kids’) privacy rights
This is a perennial question, but it's good that it keeps coming up. In Disney's Babble.com, parenting blogger Katie (last name wisely not provided for her son's privacy), again asks when a child's right to privacy kicks in and whether parents are violating that right by sharing photos in social media. "I believe that yes, my son has a right to privacy," she writes, "but I also believe that … [Read more...] about Of babies’ (then older kids’) privacy rights
Smart public image management in social media
High school students are displaying serious online spin control skills in their college quests. It's more like "public image management" than the reputation management so often referred to in online-safety discussions. In an interview for ReadWriteWeb.com, a high school teacher in Reno, Nev., called it "admissions jiu jitsu," referring to his students' workarounds for college and university … [Read more...] about Smart public image management in social media
The social Web, reputations & an election
Five years ago was, I think, was the first time I wrote about young Net users needing to be good spin doctors and get in touch with their inner political consultants. I was thinking more about protecting reputations and future prospects than opportunities to run for office. But now we've had the first election in which politicians have had to confront the social-Web skeletons in their closets, the … [Read more...] about The social Web, reputations & an election
Our children’s digital dossiers
New parents probably don't think of baby blogs and online photo albums as part of their children's digital dossiers or footprints, but that's what they are. The computer security company AVG recently surveyed parents with Internet access and children under age two in 10 countries (Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Spain, the UK, and the US), asking them "when they … [Read more...] about Our children’s digital dossiers