Right to be Forgotten on Social Media

I came across this very interesting article on GMANEWS.TV about how the European Union is collectively pushing for an option for internet users to easily delete everything and anything about them online. In this digital age where everyone, regardless of age or intent, can be held hostage for something that they post online, this is a right that I will strongly campaign and push for.

If you think about it, anytime you post something online it’s as if we’re all signing a waiver that the information we upload is fair game for everyone and that we don’t “own” it anymore. While we can be reckless at times, the option to permanently and easily withdraw and remove that information should be there. If you try deleting an account, profile, or blog entry, you will still have to contend with Google’s Cache which can easily be searched and re-uploaded by any techie. We are all rendered helpless by social technology.

Another point to ponder on: what about the information that social networks push to advertisers? If we delete our profiles, does the information passed on to the advertiser also gets deleted? Or do they get to store it in their databases?

There are just so many questions on online privacy and I think they this problem will spiral out of control in the next decade as more countries become more digitally adept and new social technologies emerge. I can’t begin to imagine how much power Facebook and Google have over the world with all the information they have stored in their servers and databases.

I am for responsible use of Social Media and personal branding but we should all have a reset button. Website companies shouldn’t have a monopoly on our online identities.