In this age of
camera-enabled smart phones and hardcore social media usage, nothing goes
undetected and undocumented especially if it is something controversial and defamatory at the expense of
others.
If you wake up the
next day with your news feed on Facebook showing compromising photos of you from
an event you attended the night before, The Australian Law Reform Commission is
having the European Union consider its proposed "right to be forgotten”
now “right to erasure" amendment.
This “right to
erasure” proposal urges organisations especially social media providers to
delete compromising information on their platform at the request of the person
who is the subject of that information. This right applies only to information
uploaded with the person’s consent. They should have the right to withdraw
their consent and have the necessary erasures done immediately upon their
request.
However, this
may seem like a pretty ambitious solution since information such as photos and
videos when deleted are naturally backed up and archived. To erase history is
an exercise in futility, and this definitely applies in digital media.
Is “right to
erasure” truly the solution to compromising information uploaded to the web? If
it comes with our consent, then there is the assumption that we have thought
about it before sealing our fate on the web. However, what is most glaring in
the proposal is that the “right to erasure” does not apply for information
uploaded without the person’s consent. Should it be the other way around?
What are the
lessons that we can pick up from this?
First, it is our
responsibility to control the information we give about ourselves. This prevents
the dilemma of erasing every single embarrassing photo uploaded on Facebook and
hoping that it is too early for Google to index it all the way to eternity.
Second, be
careful in the photos and videos that you make about yourself and others. Just
because it has been captured on your smart phone does not mean that it has to
be shared with everyone in your network. If the intention is to stir
unnecessary attention even after receiving the consent of the parties involved,
be the bigger person in the situation.
And third, learn
from other people’s experiences. While compromising photos and videos may seem
trivial to others, the impact it has on the person involved can be
psychologically damaging. For some unlucky ones, their embarrassing photo or
video has made them the subject of cyberbullying. The internet can be a great
place to spend time in, but the same cannot be assumed for everyone.
What is your
personal take on this?
