There is a new EU law proposal concerning information we chose to share - social networks for example. The day we decide to quit it should be easy to be erased - at all sources. It is called "The right to be forgotten - On Internet". I have however expanded that title to a lot of other Internet integrity problems. The following is about involuntarily presences on Internet.
I do not want to be found on Google maps. I do not want my kids name and home address to be found on Internet. I do want all these data to be deleted. But I cannot!
At two separate occasions I have been reminded how vulnerable we are on Internet. On two separate occasions I have tried to get rid of mine and my families information on Internet. I am not talking about information we have chosen to share - I talk about personal information every Swedish citizen find about themselves on Internet without any kind of consent.
The first case was three years ago when my oldest daughter had an Internet stalker. He found her home address with help of open directories supported by Swedish law. He found her home with help of Google maps and told her while chatting. Guess what effect that had on her? He had by then added her at different social networks with at least 10 different aliases. He had written really abusive things and behaved really bad especially considering her age.
The second case is much too fresh that I prefer not to speak about it. I will probably never do that. Besides there is NO way to speak about these problems without giving hints to those who can use information given in a bad way. Send me a mail if you are concerned for your own, your family or a friends sake. Mail address on top at "Copyright and Contact"Anyhow I tried to get rid of the revealing source in my daughters case but in that directory everyone above 16 years is found. There is no way to remove that information without a crime.
I have tried for about a year to get in touch with the data sources used by Google maps. But since they base their directories on other directories I it is tricky. I presume the original source is the Swedish SPA directory - a central directory for governmental work.
To be removed from SPA I need a verdict. Somebody must have abused me or in any other way done anything criminal - really threatening me - to give me a chance to either have a secret identity OR a secret living. There are no other choices.
Do you understand what I say?
I need to have secret identity OR secret address to get removed from Google maps. This is absurd!
In vain I tried to get in touch with Google. They have automated the removal of intimidating street pictures so I thought perhaps they could remove an intimidating home address too.
This is the answer I got two months later: I asked if they could remove my address and if not - to give me the source of their directory.
The information requested relates to services offered by Google Inc., a U.S. company organized and operating in the U.S., and governed by U.S. laws. As such, the information you have requested is collected and maintained by Google, Inc.
Google Inc. generally requires formal legal process issued from a U.S. jurisdiction and served in accordance with U.S. law before it can disclose information related to any Google Inc. users. Google Inc. can disclose certain user information in the absence of U.S. legal process, however, if you can provide valid legal process for such disclosure under the laws of your jurisdiction and if such disclosure can be made in compliance with U.S. law. We may accept an Order signed by a judge or magistrate in your jurisdiction served to Google Inc. - Attn: Legal Department via registered mail (not fax or email).
Specifically, Google Inc. may be able to disclose subscriber registration information and/or currently available IP activity to the extent these IP addresses resolve to your jurisdiction. If you are able to secure the appropriate legal process within your jurisdiction for this information, please send such process addressed to Google Inc. - Attn: Legal Department, via registered mail to 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, California, 94043, U.S., for evaluation.
In addition, you may also be able to learn the identity of a Google subscriber by filing a “John Doe” lawsuit in Santa Clara County, California. Note this is the preferred method. A “John Doe” lawsuit is a civil suit filed by a plaintiff against an unknown person. Once the lawsuit is filed, the plaintiff may then serve a U.S. subpoena on Google Inc.
Upon receipt of legal process, Google Inc. will notify the subscriber of the request so that the subscriber has an opportunity to object. If the subscriber does not indicate that he or she will challenge the legal process and the legal process is otherwise unobjectionable to Google Inc., Google Inc. may produce the responsive information to the extent available in our systems.
You may direct further communications to Google Inc. at 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, California, 94043, U.S., Fax: + 1 650 469-0622 or by email at lis-global@google.com
We appreciate your understanding and cooperation.
Best Regards,
Google Inc.
Legal Investigations Support
I smile when I read "we appreciate your understanding and cooperation". I do neither understand nor cooperate with Google. I really do not understand a sh*t.
First of all - wrote in Swedish and I got an answer written in advanced English. Besides that I need to call a lawyer to understand what they really meant.
I understand however that either I have to change Swedish law or take a big fight with Google to get rid of that address. I am not sure I will cooperate at all...
It has to be fun, or else we cannot make it
Teaching children is the most important thing when they are. Not everybody can avoid any unpleasant situation but at least should try to do it.
ReplyDeleteForget about using real names on Internet while in blogs and social networks. Never correspond your nickname, e-mail address with real name or real address.
Best wishes.
Great advices - agreed!
ReplyDeleteBut it these people - the bad ones - grow relations for long time. In chats at different sources perhaps under different aliases they pick for example up the name of school and approximate age. Then - you can find the rest...
So even if you and your kids use aliases - cross reading different sources can give so very much more. I did it once to find a phone number. I had name and birth date at Facebook and the rest in Swedish telephone directory. Voila!
So the Swedish laws allowing "everything" being public on the web is a bad mistake as the world looks like today. The law has to be updated.
The semantic web will expose some countries citizens more than others.
I'm back as you invite me on Twitter :)
ReplyDeleteI just wanted to write some advices but thoughts had send me to make a text in my blog. So you are welcome.
I agree in individuals need to take care about what they do and say on Internet. But since some countries have very open directories containing private information like home address and telephone numbers it may strike very hard for some. That is if someone start to dislike or perhaps like you too much.
ReplyDeleteI think most people on Internet are very naive - they have no idea bout this being a problem.
My kids have aliases, I have had several aliases but at a few times people have cracked aliases and figured out who we really are. (I have understood how but will not write it in public.)
It is not Internet's fault. But it is there serving information on a silver plate. If my home address had been protected. If my kids home address had been protection the harm would have been so much less. Nothing really happened....but we feared regarding my daughter.
And once your identity is revealed - there is no way to escape. It took three days before daughters phone number was deleted in a public directory - I never dared to look how long it was found in Google caches. Approximately six months. Information that could be used by someone with a screwed mind.
The thing is that you have no idea who is behind that facade - a temporarily upset person, a "romantic" person not understanding a thing, an ill person or a psycho.
It is true that the semantic web collects information all ready on Internet. But to look in all these sources and make a presentation by hand with help of Google and other search engines (deep search foe example) takes days or weeks. At "semantic web applications" all is presented on first page.
If you then have a unique name and live in a country with open directories - you have reason to be very careful.