On his website, Luigi Cappel has a nice post about the effect of digital information on our freedoms. I agree with a lot of the things he says on his site, but I would also add we not only have to worry about the government, but also corporations and each other.
The ease at which digital information can be bandied about and used in unexpected ways will create problems we’ve never even thought of. I think the recent light on sexting (teenagers sending naked pictures of themselves to each other) and then getting charged with child pornography is an unfortunate example of how the unintended consequences of technology will continually challenge us. Our law systems are built around being able to keep up with the slow change of society, and not the rapid change in society due to technology that we’re experiencing.
I think the best thing to do is be careful with your information and remember that the Internet doesn’t forget.
[…] of life. I’ve discussed in previous posts the abuse of our personal information in Freedoms and the 5th Amendment and Machines That Know. Sometimes these mechanical discussions can put people off from important […]