Tag Archives: privacy

Facebook Photo Tagging Etiquette

Posted on August 18, 2010 by Nava Brahe

NAVA BRAHE: One of the downsides to the Internet is the old “TMI” conundrum. In this age of, everything -you-say- and-do can-be-documented-whether- you- like- it-or- not, what constitutes too much information?

HOWARD MEGDAL: What it comes down to for me is this: if I am posting a picture to my Facebook account, it is because I like that person. So if that person doesn’t want a photo up, since I like that person… I am happy to comply.

MOLLY SCHOEMANN: I’m not on Facebook…to my knowledge. I say this because while I don’t have an account, many if not most of my friends do. And some of them are friends I hang out with regularly; friends I am happy to pose for pictures with. It is possible that some of those pictures have been posted on the Facebook accounts of said friends without my knowledge, and that I have been positively identified in those photos. Continue reading →

Posted in Arts & Culture | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Is Privacy Dead?

Posted on July 19, 2010 by Stephon Johnson

AKIE BERMISS: Privacy is not dead! Not by any means — to say so is to cry fire in a crowded theater. You see, the trouble is privacy COULD be dead at any moment. It takes only a few ideal conditions to be met and few of the wrong kinds of people to be at the helm when they do and suddenly: there’s no such thing as privacy. These days its not that privacy is dead, not even that its really become so much of a privilege either (for those who would argue that the wealthy and powerful are the only ones who can afford to maintain privacy) — but rather its become a responsibility. And for us here in America, that’s a new thing. Continue reading →

Posted in Arts & Culture | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Google Stealing Data

Posted on May 27, 2010 by Akie Bermiss

MOLLY SCHOEMANN: Right now a debate rages as to whether Google grossly overstepped its bounds by collecting and saving the data of users on wireless unencrypted networks for around 3 years. Frankly, I don’t see how there is any way that Google’s actions are defensible.

AKIE BERMISS: I’m with Molly — I fear Google. I find their hippy-dippy branding to be way over the top. Five years ago, it was hip and wonderful and exciting. Now its such obvious pandering as to seem malicious. I’m not saying I hate Google — I use Gmail, google calendars and documents, blogger, and my main browser is Chrome — but I think that when you get to a certain level of power and ownership it can become nearly impossible not to be an overbearing presence.

DAVE TOMAR: People have aggressively surrendered their privacy in exchange for the narcissistic view that we can be noticed by others and leave a mark on the world, even if it is just a media footprint. The Warholian 15 minutes of fame has been critically devalued. In theory, everybody gets the 15 minutes. But it used to be for good reasons like foiling convenience-store robberies, winning local bake-offs or finding a Rembrandt lodged between the pipes in your attic. Now, you just tell everybody in the world exactly what you’re doing at all times and hope that somebody gives a crap enough to click the ‘thumbs up’ icon. Continue reading →

Posted in Humor | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments