What happens when your online identity is stolen and security measures permanently lock you out from your own messages, documents, online friends?
This problem of being disconnected from your digital memories and relationship is real.
danah boyd (apophenia) has blogged about why your online identity is precious with a cautionary tale:
When companies host all of your data and have the ability to delete you and it at-will, all sorts of nightmarish science fiction futures are possible.
Google, Yahoo, MS Live, Facebook, MySpace offerings are so convenient, engaging, useful, powerful and dominant that many digital immigrants and natives have years of thoughts, work and expression in the sole trust of commercial organisations. The ‘terms of use’ clauses typically impose all the onus on an individual, and “all care & no responsibility” for the service provider.
The same organisations have to manage the risk of system abuse and legal threats. However the impact from losing personal data is vastly more significant for the individual than the loss of the same data for the system owners.
Have a read of the comments and the personal significance of the problem/nightmare becomes evident.
How can system designers and developers to introduce a fair appeals system which restores a balance between system security, legal responsibility and legitimate identity security to prevent users being disconnected from their online history and relationships?
It’s another challenge for the myedna development team in creating a fair social networking space for educators - me.edu.au.
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