Lou's Commentary

Privacy: Friend or Foe?

Tuesday, August 11th, 2009

Today’s Washington Post, August 11, 2009, pages A2 and A3 [yes, I read the print version], gave pause to the topic of privacy. Much of our work with clients is about strategy, business models, tactics, creating, measuring impact, making and keeping readers, visitors, and customers happy to meet missions and make money. Rarely do conversations focus on privacy.

Few would question the impact that social networking [and tracking technologies] have made with how we communicate.  And guess what? With today’s announcement that Facebook purchased Friend Feed, if you are so inclined, your friends can track what you are doing on social media sites. The Post also reports that the Obama’s aides view social networking as good for you and me…something about transparency…and good for government. [George Orwell is flipping in his grave on this one.] And the government’s information czar indicates that as long as we can “opt out” on government sites, it’s not a big deal.

Here comes the ACLU, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the Electronic Privacy Information Center and the Center for Democracy and Technology, among others, to protect U.S. citizens.

Congress has fiddled with this topic recently, but nothing major to report yet. 
Take heed, privacy policy is going to become increasingly important to content creators and consumers from a personal and a business perspective.

 

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