Many events at work and around the world has had me asking questions this week about my own online identity:
- How can I managing my online identities in so many websites?
- How is my identity recorded online?
- Where does my online identity permeate?
- Can my online identity be revealed?
- How do I protect myself if I’m being libelled or threatened online?
- What happens when my identity is being abused?
What amazes me is the increasingly significant role having an online identity has for a increasingly socially networked online world. The issues of identity directly affect my online behaviour; these are but a few reasons why:
- Issue 1: Managing my identity
The Proof of Concept (POC) innovations project here at education.au has been wrestling with the issues of identity for educators. Consider the fact that educators contribute and research across many websites and each have their own separate identity. For example I have different registered logins for learning management systems, public video and picture, social network websites, auctions, online games, webmail, forums, lists and many more. All of these have a separate identity with varying levels of connection to my real identity.
The MyEdna POC project has focused on empowering educators to manage their educational identity by aggregating and distilling the varied contributions and research sources into a single environment using a technology called RSS.
Core to the project is the concept of public identity. We are only distilling what is publicly available. By doing so you can ‘watch me learn’ but also I can also selectively present the identity I want to portray, eg me as an edtech professional or me as a programmer and so on. The current phase of the POC project is focused on letting the educator to use their identity to form fluid social networks based on creating online resources and meta-tags.
- Issue 2: Persistent identity
Tools such as Google and the WayBackMachine never forget. My online contributions may have been permanently cached or archived. My online contributions are highly likely to last well beyond the day I die. Anyone will be able to go back and find out what I said. Conceptually, it is the same as researching in the real world but to a level of detail and speed never possible before - but with my identity you can see all my typos and grammar blunders but also the quality of how I interact.
- Issue 3: Identity permeability
My online contributions may permeate through the online world by being referenced, linked, archived, republished in any form without my knowledge. They may praise, scorn or ignore what I say. Strong reactions mean that my identity is likely to permeate further online.
Back in the real world, my online identity and behaviour permeates in web server logs. Every link I click is logged by a web server. A large number of ISPs in Australia sell their server logs to organisations who aggregate, analyse and profile gigabytes of web surfing data daily. My clicking is aggregated with millions of other people’s. I am not suggesting that these organisations divulge my personal information but what I do suggest it is highly feasible to do so - by anyone with access to the web server logs.
- Issue 4: Protecting my identity
My online identity is worth protecting. Potential employers will ‘Google’ for me if I apply for jobs. I like recognition for any good ideas I contribute. I don’t want people to libel or steal either my online or real identity.
On the ABC Australia Talks ‘Wikimania or Fuzziemania’ [mp3 24Mb] program, the Rt Revd. Dr Peter Hollingsworth talked directly to Jimmy Wales about the Rt Revd’s identity being misrepresented in a Wikipedia biography because it was based on inaccurate information sources. He asked Jimmy directly whether he had ‘any responsibility for that’ and ‘what what you do if someone decided to sue you for libel?’
Jimmy Wales responded by that Wikipedia had beefed up its policy on living persons biographies, encouraging people to interact on the talk page to highlight issues as well as getting wikipedia editors to produce higher quality biographies. Libel does align with Wikipedia mission. Note: Jimmy Wales will be presenting at education.au’s 2007 seminar series ‘Challenging how knowledge is created‘.
- Concept 5: Identity accountability - unmasking online identity
If my online identity is revealed and connected with my real identity then I am instantly accountable for all my online interactions, communications, and behaviour and contributions.
My identity is stored on servers around the world. My identity is stored on the computers have have at home and at work. My identity is stored in the software caches on my computer. My identity is carried around on my USB memory stick and many other digital devices. My identity is carried on credit card transactions with websites such as Amazon. Companies have my identity and I have little control or knowledge of what they do with it.
Remember what can be done in software can be undone in software. My digital identity is easy to unmask - I have given you my name; others have to skill to mask their online identity better. It comes down to skills, tools and knowledge when protecting and detecting my identity.
Kathy Sierra, the force behind the ‘Creating Passionate Users’ learning focused blog, received death threats from other bloggers. Using technology she claims to have identified the people behind the threats. She publicly announced their online and real world identities and detailed their actions. Note: please use your discretion when choosing to search for the blog as you may find images and language offensive and/or disturbing.
Interestingly the owner of the blogging website, once identified, expressed that he was both ashamed and sorry for his participation in both [offending] sites. The owner did not post the threats.
So who am I when I am online?
I recognise social behaviour standards online is being challenged by the social and legal standards of the real world now.
When I am online I strive to preserve my identity quality. I consider the issues of persistence, publicity, permeability, discoverability and accountability issues. I carefully manage and protect my identity. I attempt to contribute constructively rather than disparage others and ideas. In other words - respecting one another online as much as I do face to face.
I’m far from perfect but I’m having a go. You will be the judge.
So who are you when you are online?
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