This is a slice of a Google+ comment thread that I "weighed in on". It originated from an article complaining about services such as Last.FM and other content streaming services that are all-too-happy to post what your watching/listening to on Facebook and social utilities as such. I was a little long-winded in my response, but that's because for too long the conversation on the subject has been 99% one-sided. I seem to hear the same thing over and over again
"I like Z. But it freaks me out to know that everybody else can easily see that I listen to Z, despite that fact that I have a Z bumper sticker on my car. And also, sometimes this service will stream Y even though I don't even like like Y! It takes me forever to delete every post related to me listening to Y. If someone were to find out I listen to Z on the net, or that Y was ever, EVER streamed to my computer... well, it'd be the end of the world!!!"
Here is the article that was posted on G+: The trouble with scrobbles (scobbles?)
I believe that I make a valid point here and even if you don't agree with me, it's a point of view that should be at least acknowledged. So here is one of my responses (yes, this was one big, long winded response from me defending my position) to the conversation:
I guess what I'm trying to say is my stance on online privacy is that of Eric Schmidt- "If you don't want people knowing what you're doing online, than don't do it" It wasn't so long ago that we didn't have services like Last.FM and the world still turned. It's a luxury that isn't necessary, so if you don't like how it works, don't use it.
Sometimes I get yelled at for taking a picture of someone drinking at the bar or something like that, whether it be because of family or that could prohibit them from getting an unforeseen job in the future. To me, these people simply want to keep secrets weather it be of doing something very normal such as drinking at a bar or something very unusual like listening to classical music.
While everybody is screaming Big Brother, I prefer to take an optimistic view. What if more and more people began to say "Yes, that was me listening to Wagner, mom. I don't even like Wagner but it just came on. Please stop calling me about stuff like this, I'll see you on Thanksgiving". Or maybe people start asking themselves 'Gee, this company might have a problem with me drinking at a bar on New Years... wait, what sort of company is this? What I do after work has nothing to do with my skills at being a computer programmer (or whatever)" It'd be great if instead us all trying to burrow down deeper in order to hide ourselves, what if -WHAT IF- we used this to make the profiles stalkers more accepting with who people actually are?
"Smith! What's the deal with this candidate? Look, I found a picture of him 6 years ago at Mardi Gras and LOOK- there is a topless woman near him!"
"Well boss, he has more than 10 years experience in the field and the only other person that is as qualified is a guy who only has 3 pictures of himself playing with puppies on Facebook... kinda weird, right?... and also that's you in the background giving beads to that young lady"
"Oh yeah! Ha, I forgot that Mardi Gras is awesome and that I go every year myself"
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