Wie zegt dat jij mijn Facebook profiel mag bekijken?

Mike Arauz vraagt zich in The ethics of online secrecy af of we wel het recht hebben om andermans profiel te bekijken zonder dat degene die bekeken wordt dat weet. “Fifty years before Facebook came along this question would have been a much easier to answer. (…) But how does this point of view shift when we get on the web?” “(…) some people prefer to read other profiles anonymously, without the performer knowing that they are out there in the audience.” Maar moet dat dan allemaal maar kunnen? “(…) Imagine if one day Facebook announced that they had changed the rules, and suddenly we each had a Visitor Reports page that listed which other users had checked out our profile recently, what they checked out, and how frequently they visited. For an instant it might be awesome…before we quickly realized that everyone else had it, too.”

What is it about the web that flips this long-held social norm on its head? Why do we guard our browsing habits so closely? Why are we scared of what Google might have to share about us? Why do we feel that it’s our right to look at someone’s Facebook photos without them knowing?

Interessante theorie, absoluut, maar we gooien met zijn allen toch foto’s, video’s en veel meer op het web om bekeken te worden? Bovendien: krijgen mensen echt rare dingen te zien wanneer ze je profiel betreden? Ik zeg: behandel elke digitale foto en uitlating alsof je moeder ‘m ook kan zien/lezen en problemen zijn uitgesloten.