The Web Is Forever…
Since I first started using the web years ago, many new sites and tools have come into being, making it easy to get information posted. What isn’t always easy is controlling what happens to that information after it’s posted–and getting it off the web if you change your mind about having it there.
All the people who tell you there’s no privacy on the web may seem like fear-mongers–but often they came by that knowledge the hard way, getting burned themselves.
It’s always a good idea to keep in mind that information you post to the web:
- may be disseminated (distributed) much more broadly than you intended; and
- may live on the web much longer than you want it to.
Password protection isn’t foolproof. It’s also not safe to post private information and limit the view to your ’friends’, and expect it to stay within your trusted circle.
Something you post today could be seen tonight by your worst enemy… or ten years from now by a potential life partner or employer… or fifteen years from now, by your children. Even if you delete the page, the information very well can live on… in your friends’ (former friends’?) files, in the collections of strangers, in web archives, you name it.
I’m all for honesty in interactions, but I’m also a firm believer in the right to privacy. Take good care of yourself–both the self you are now and the self you want to be in ten years. Think twice before broadcasting details of your life for literally anybody to see. Otherwise, you could spend the rest of your life living those things down.
Tags: Internet Privacy