Robin provides much thoughtful material about privacy intrusions by the
media and that these occur because the public in interested enough to pay
for them.
Will the net be different? The press is anonymous and powerful. If a
photograph of a grieving relative is published its not much use for them to
phone the paper. Those viewing the photograph will not be confronted by the
displeasure of the person viewed if they look. They can be voyeurs.
We may find on the net some differences and greater ability for those
suffering abuse to complain and mobilize social support. Take this group,
link, for instance. Some of us are known to each other and we may have, or
hear, private information concerning each others lives. We may hear gossip
about link members we do not know. But this sort of information would not
be posted here. If we were to find such information posted on a web site I
confidently expect it would be a matter for outraged discussion and a
concerted effort by active members of the list to vigorously complain to
the administrators of the offending web site.
It may be that the power of an individual to fight back against excessive
intusion will be enhanced by the influence of the net?
Tony
__________________________________________________________
mailto:tony@ningaui.anu.edu.au | Voice/Fax
mailto:tonyb@netinfo.com.au | +61 2-6288-0959
http://purl.oclc.org/NET/Tony.Barry
Ningaui Pty Ltd, GPO Box 1680, Canberra City, ACT 2601
Visiting Fellow, Department of Computer Science, FEIT
Australian National University