[nmx-dev] nmx, privacy, the lure of existing information

[Saul Albert]

Hi All,

I've been looking around the 'net and thinking about nm-x, where it
fits in, what it does that other sites don't.

I was a bit confused about the lack of sites that have a similar
premise - ie: posting 'good enough' information about someone, then
enticing them in to edit it.

It turns out (of course!) that this isn't so unique. This company -
reapleaf.com - started doing it with automated searches and profile
building. It seems like their intentions: to create an aggregate
profile of people from their distributed data around the 'net - was a
pretty similar idea.

Apparently, people didn't like it very much:
http://blog.rapleaf.com/2007/09/06/start-ups-privacy-and-being-wrong/

Possibly, this is because they were doing it in an automated fashion,
maybe because our data is all entered by someone else, that's dealt
with... but Kelli Dipple's feedback runs to the contrary (see
attached). She found the existence of data about her as disturbing as
Reapleaf's critics. 

She also pointed out that it is precisely the availability of
relationship data - between her and her organisations, projects and
networks that she wanted to remain private.

I don't fully agree with her, but I think we're treading a line with
our line about allowing people to be represented on our site without
their explicit consent.

Food for thought.

Cheers,

Saul.
-- 
The People Speak   | 17-25 Cremer St.  London E2 8HD | http://theps.net
studio +44 (0)20 71007915 | saul: +44 (0)7941 255210 | ms at theps.net
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