Johan's blog

Online privacy

The value of the Internet is mainly influenced by what users implicitly or explicitly contribute to it. When I buy something online, I always check for testimonials from other customers. Without a positive referral, I hardly buy something. Now, a testimonial is clearly something the user is willing to contribute. The problem occurs when users' data is being used without the user knowing it. And I agree that more action might be required in this area. Still, it surprises me how many people assume that the Internet is an anonymous playground. When I send an email to someone, I always take into account that the content of that mail may be public available one day. The SMTP protocol is so open, and there are too many circumstances behind my control, so I won't be surprised if my mail is read by the wrong recipient. Something else to remember: once you put something on the Internet, it won't leave without a trace. Actually, it will probably never leave. I remember a story where a link was created to someones blog site. That person didn't want her blog to be read by everybody, so she put a password on it. But then, checking the Internet Archive WayBack Machine showed the blog as it was right before the password protection was installed. Be careful :)

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