A Public Service Announcement

[xyzzysqrl]

Commenters on major news stories continue to not understand how the Internet works!

I personally have always believed it's important to keep yourself documented, and keep things around for people in The Future to have. It could be nice for an archivist in the future to read over some of this stuff. And that's great! Even if this archive never gets touched again! Also, I respect the rights of anyone who disagrees. That's also great!

...but people continue to not realize that if it's on the Internet, it is not "private". It is not "protected". You wrote something in a place where several million people roam about, clicking any piece of text or picture that holds still and several that move around. What makes you think, exactly, that people aren't reading your crap? What makes you think it's not within their rights to sell your nickname and everything you've ever said to an advertising company? Or, in this case, donate it to the LoC? And by "their" and "they", I mean Twitter, Livejournal, Dreamwidth, Facebook, that message board you signed up to in sixth grade.

I am putting this on the Internet: DON'T PUT PRIVATE THINGS ON THE INTERNET. If you're not comfortable with the idea of everyone you've ever known and several hundred strangers thrusting their metaphorical faces against your metaphorical windowpanes, KEEP IT TO YOURSELF.

Comments

[seawasp]

Because in many cases my ToS doesn't give them those rights, and I have copyright over everything I write. This is covered by the Berne Convention. You want to reproduce something I say or write in a context other than the one I said it? Talk to me or my agent.

[arkofeden.livejournal.com]

While I've probably given out enough vague hints over the years for a truly dedicated person to figure out who I am IRL, I try to avoid being direct about my identity for reasons like this. It's why I avoid Facebook like the plague, because my account is under my legal name and I have no interest in connecting a ton of material to something so easily Google-able.

I'm always surprised at how many people in my age group don't get this about the Internet either, like the ones who put pics of themselves getting drunk/stoned/laid online with their actual names, never thinking that potential employers might be interested in searching for that stuff. O_O;;

--Riss.