What is Digg?42 Comments
- misterpony, on 10/12/2007, -0/+36About a year ago there was a link on digg to a government site (ntia.doc.gov) asking for feedback on the issue of net neutrality. I naively filled in the comment box with my real name, thinking it would be just be going to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration. There was no disclaimer that the comments would be public. However, they have everyone's comments online for anyone to access, including the name and date you sent the comment. The comments (there are about 1000 others) are hosted here: http://www.ntia.doc.gov/ntiahome/domainname/
I have emailed them numerous times asking for the comments to be taken down and haven't gotten any response. One person who actually responded (most didn't) actually said they didn't believe I was telling the truth. Someone who was supposedly a Manager of Communications responded that "there's nothing we can do about it." And my numerous replies and suggestions asking for her to contact her IT dept or just to forward their emails to me went no where.
To this day, this stupid comment page is the first topic that comes up when you google my name. Yes, I was stupid to use my real name--I usually never do--but now I'm stuck with the consequences because the only emails I could find on the site were of people who were clueless, lazy, and/or unhelpful. Sorry for the long story, but I've been wanting to tell it for awhile and this seemed like a good time. Maybe I'll be checking into this ReputationDefender company. - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+18I get www.misterpony.com when I google your name. Maybe you should change your real name to your fake name.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+18@z00k
It's a useful service that could help a lot of people. Considering that many HR departments will Google potential employees before requesting interviews, it's a small price to pay.
I'm digging you down because you expect everything for nothing and also because I think it's really annoying when people use a 'signature' with their nick when it's already shown half an inch above the post. - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -1/+18Sad story but pretty common. Give them a shot...it sounds like you'd only have a small amount of $$$ to lose. They didn't mention usenet which is the 800 lb gorilla of "damn I wish I had never done that" (mostly because every post is indexed by google).
However, without a confirming address or picture how does anyone know that the name given belongs to you? I've often thought people are a little TOO paranoid about their name being out there (especially when it lives outside of an easy ID like a phone number, address or picture). - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -2/+15Removing information from the internet is like trying to remove a specific drop of water from a swimming pool
- kbarrett, on 10/12/2007, -1/+12"The internet is like a tattoo"
Best web analogy EVER. - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -1/+11I was listening to a radio interview the other week while driving to work.
Apparently, the HR sector has finally caught up with the existence of Google and MySpace.
According to the person interviewed it is now common for hiring managers to Google on prospective employee's names as well as look for them on MySpace. According to the person interviewed it is not uncommon for hiring managers to change their mind about a job offer based on what they find out about the person on the internet.
The digg crowd probably knows this, but almost every post to the web can turn up on a google search. Even if you don't use your real name, an industrious private detective can read a bunch of posts looking for clues in things you wrote as to who you are.
I've read stories to this effect. - dattaway, on 10/12/2007, -3/+13The internet is like a tattoo. What you do is a part of you for the rest of your life. And death.
- unknownunknowns, on 10/12/2007, -0/+8My name is fairly uncommon, yet when googling my name, you'll find some of my academic work and fiction writing, but also you'll find out that I'm a lawyer (not really me) and that I'm a freemason (another guy that's not really me). There's no sure way to tell which one of us is writing which...except that the other two guys with my name have pictures of themselves attached to articles by/about them.
I guess my point is just not to worry too much, because if there are other guys out there with my name, the same probably applies to most people. - TimDigg, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7This is one of those "I should have thought of that!!"
oh well.... - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6Is there a way to get Google to remove a cached version of a website that's bad for your name?
- dracula7, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5@floridiot: I contacted google about an out of date cache containing my name, and they promptly removed it.
- wozley, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Pretty good money-making idea.
But I have to say, the internet would be much less funnier. Take out all the hugely snobbish, inappropriate, and retard things that people post on the internet, and it's nothing but pr0n and advertisements. - jgtg32a, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Ya know used to hate my name untill all this stuff came up. But now I'm glad to say my name is Michael Brown. So they are going to have alot of fun finding anything on me.
4th most common 1st name
5th most common last name
http://www.namestatistics.com/ - TimDigg, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4Question.........how in the hell can they tell John Smith A from John Smith B
there are a million John Smith's on the web...how do they know you're the bad one...searching for someone's name is a bad idea....its probably more than that, but there is no way they would know who is who - pbjorge12, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3My stupid comment is the second result when someone looks up my name...
http://www.ntia.doc.gov/ntiahome/domainname/dnstransition/comments/dnstrans_comment0100.htm - b7j0c, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4this is true only because the public swallows the lies that tech companies provide - that it is "impossible" to remove data. BULL. yahoo was brought to court in france to remove nazi paraphenilia from their auctions, and although they claimed at first that it was "impossible", once they realized they would be kicked out of the french market, they suddenly figured out a way to make it possible. funny how impossible becomes possible when $$$$$ is involved.
your identity is YOURS. people have to decide if they want to retain rights to control their identities, or simply let themselves become a product to be resold to advertizers. - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Without a court order it is not possible to be sure that a web presence actually belongs to the person implicated. If I wanted to damage someone's reputation I could find a picture of him/her and make a website using their name and picture with some private details of their life. Even with a court order it is tough to establish identity unless something like a credit card was used.
I think companies should be really careful about what they think they "know" about the intarweb. HR folks generally aren't the sharpest knives in the draw. - b7j0c, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2your argument devolves down to the classic anti-privacy rant: what do you have to hide?
your identity is yours. you should be able to exercise some control over it. - trialofmiles, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2b7j0c, you're missing the point. The difficulty in retracting something from the internet isn't that tech companies can't take down data, it's that for every instance you take down there are many more you don't know about.
- BeauXdidLeigH, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Ah, yes.
There will always be people with more money than brains.
A better solution might be: To present individuals with a record of their on line legacy, on an ongoing basis. Those that choose to become enlightened by this data will adapt their habits accordingly (as we did with e-mail attachments, phishing scams, free on line give-aways, etc).
Let this information be a gauge. As mentioned, use it like a credit report ... or a driving record, or a criminal record, or a report card. People whom can't face their stupidity need a wake-up call, not another pacifier and a baby-blanket.
We don't need another "eraser" for unaccountable idiots. We've seen examples of unaccountable sinners from the streets, to the 'burbs; from business, religion, health, military, and sports, to the highest government position in this land!
Don't worry as much about your prior stupidity; worry more about not repeating the mistakes, and helping others not make them (kind of reminds me of what they used to have ... what was it? Oh, yes - parenting).
However...
It does sound like a great company for persons with a nefarious or felonious Internet past.
Spammers, politicians, pedophiles ....., clean your slate! - b7j0c, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2dawgfrommsu: are your seriously proposing that the government owns your name and simply grants you permission to use it?
- pahajoki, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Well that would be as hard as deleting, if theres one site which makes you "super egood" it will be ignored. and it's not possible to get it to many sites with one site they will doubt especially because if it will be well know...
- johnarthur, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2I think the service is puporting to do more than it really can. Same with the "credit monitoring" - you can do this yourself and probably do a better job at it.
- dirtyjersey, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Sorry if this is it too obvious to mention but shouldn't one try to avoid typing their name into google as it will link their identity to their search history?
- zorlok, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2Why not instead do the opposite. Flood the web with articles about doing charity work and saving kids from a burning orphanage. Bury all the bad ones. Someone can offer that service. For a small fee, they will create bogus *positive* articles on their network of sites.
- Darkness123, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1b7j0c: Let me bring your attention to the AOL mishap when they showed peoples Search Records with Identifying information removed. AOL removed it from there website but it was too late many sites mirrored it, and will continue to mirror it.
Its not like 10 years ago where broadband was very expensive and buying a server was also expensive, right now I can upload around 1-2GB for Free to 1 of those free upload sites.
In this day and age once something goes up on the internet, it will stay there for a very long time.
Since I used the internet back in the 56k modem days I have never used my real name or any website, except for my job email. - b7j0c, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2> If you do something stupid in public, you have no
> "reasonable expectation of privacy"
this is ridiculous. first you have to establish that a website is a public space.
second, you have to establish why i cannot exercise the same legitimate control other intellectual property holders are given under the law once a search engine uses my identity to generate revenue.
by your suggestion, itunes is likewise a public place and apple has no control what i do with these files once they post them. if apple can control what happens to a piece of music, why cannot i control how my name is used commercially?
people have to decide what kind of net they want. one where you can control your identity (and therefore are not afraid to use your real name), or one where you are constantly being resold as a commodity and everyone just starts lying about who they are in order to obfuscate? - linuxeventually, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1anyone got anything on how to remove one's name from the waybackmachine?
- drakethegreat, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2precisely because when I type my name into google there is nothing on me whatsoever. Apparently having a white name is benefitial. I'm therefore thinking this doesn't matter to me because they will never know who I am anyways and if they mistake me for someone else then I wouldn't want to work for them anyways because they obviously aren't intelligent themselves. Sure my screenname/username may bring up a lot more information but business don't have that one and I won't let them get it.
- championchap, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1What if my friend Gwyn Ashton decided that he wanted to use this service.
What would happen to the musician Gwyn Ashtons website? - zbeast, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Seash what are you guys doing that's so bad that your worried about someone
reading about it on the net?
Ya, I've never used my real name on the Internet that's mostly because.
I've never use my real name anywhere in any public from.
That's just the way it is that's the way it will always be.
I'm not political, I'm not running for office, but its more along the line.
I never want to receive spam in my name that's all. - dawgfrommsu, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1If you have a birth certificate then it is really the government name that they allow you to use.
- jjbeaker, on 03/25/2008, -0/+0I googled this company after seeing a Yahoo news piece about them - http://potw.news.yahoo.com/s/potw/62428/web-of-lie ... - which is a really positive story not really for the company but for the people they helped.
It's an interesting concept, anyway. I'll be interested to see where it goes. - BlazeMiskulin, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2I find this service to be somewhat disturbing.
In situations such as MySpace or other such sites, the person being "maligned" has control over what he posts and what others post to his site. It's his responsibility to regulate it.
In the case of other sites which contain information about someone, this service comes in and, essentially, threatens the author/host with litigation for what appears to be perfectly valid and legal display of information and/or opinion.
If you do something stupid in public, or in a place where you are aware of--or can reasonably expect--cameras or witnesses (such as a party, family gathering, etc), you have no "reasonable expectation of privacy".
Sending off some "Digital Guido" to threaten people to remove things that you find embarrassing is, to me, unethical. And these *are* threats:
"If the letter is sufficiently threatening," says Crawford, "the threaten-ee could bring his or her own lawsuit seeking a declaration that what they posted wasn't unlawful. But, again, most people will just buckle rather than fight back."
Instead of saying "Do what we tell you or we'll break your legs." they're saying "Do what we tell you to or we'll break your wallet". That's pretty close to the textbook definition of extortion. - jeff419, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2We've been doing better than this for a while. On major sites that won't remove the bad press in most cases you are totally stuck. We've changed that.
We can actually bury negative press so far down in Google that you don't have to worry about it?
http://www.vipsem.com - Xarou, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1This service sounds like it can be a help to net neutrality, and also a hindrance to it. I mean, you are to give them all this information and they will give you a report every month or so about you and your skeletons from your closets. But what do they do with this saved information? Now they have stuff about you? Also, if you read, it is not completely definite that the items will be taken off their sites.
"If the letter is sufficiently threatening," says Crawford, "the threaten-ee could bring his or her own lawsuit seeking a declaration that what they posted wasn't unlawful. But, again, most people will just buckle rather than fight back."
Let's say your kid was the class clown in college/high school and takes a picture of him/herself doing something that would possibly harm them in the future. He/she tells someone to post it on the Internet on Flickr, Myspace, or Facebook. Now, you as the parent finds it and wants it gone, but it was put there legally and was given permission by the kid whose parent wants it removed. The picture doesn't have to be removed.
This service, even though it is a cool idea, where one can get rid of all their dirty laundry, sounds a little shady. A company now has a bunch of information about you and they have found the incriminating pictures/articles about you too. Who knows where they are going to sell the information? Plus it is a fee, so you may be paying someone to sell you out. It just doesn't sound kosher. - empeethree, on 10/12/2007, -9/+9maybe I can hire them to find out who let the cat out of the bag that I need to add a few inches to my manhood and stop all the emails I get about it!!!
- acceptab1euname, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1So what does this service do to "destroy" the offending content? Bombard the webhost and their upstream with cart00nie legal threats? Jack-Thompsonesque "take that down OR ELSE!!!11" letters?
I think the greatest judge of this company's efficacy will be in seeing what they do when a webhost tells them to ***** right off. - daltonvoss, on 10/12/2007, -3/+1Maybe this company can help the star wars kid. yeah right. this company is a sham.
- b7j0c, on 10/12/2007, -4/+2you should not need to use such a service. your identity is YOURS, websites and crawlers should respect your rights and your identity. google should have to oblige my request to remove my name from their caches EVERYWHERE. not this extends only to my legal name. any other non-legal handle etc is fair game, but my legal name is not.
and don't tell me about robots.txt. robots.txt has no legal value at all, in fact this model assumes i must ask a search engine for permission to control my identity, as if i even have access to the robots.txt file on any server where my name appears. in many cases my own name appears in services that PREDATE google entirely (in fact usenet content which predates the entire web).
google and yahoo are using your private information to make money. they are not paying you a royalty, they are not even asking for your permission. we have to decide if we want a big brother/prison planet state or a place where your identity is yours. its funny that people complain about government surveillance yet do not complain about private companies that literally want to observe your every action with regards to media and speech and sell that to whoever. you have the right to use the web, it is not a courtesy extended to you by google. - z00k, on 10/12/2007, -47/+2This service is Not free... Sorry, But I'm digging this down.
-Zook
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