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The Internet and Private Life
Le Monde | Editorial

Friday 02 November 2007

Everything that is forbidden to classic written and audio-visual media is allowed on the Internet. That worrying observation is reinforced by the October 29 judgment of the Paris court of first instance, which dismissed the suit by plaintiffs, whose private life - in this instance, their sexual preferences - had been revealed on Wikipedia. Present legislation leaves the door open to this type of abuse. The court based its decision on the fact that the electronic encyclopedia assures a technical hosting only. That forgets that Wikipedia, the success of which is significant, has become one of the ten top global sites: any article or part of an article broadcast through Wikipedia is instantly available to millions of Internet users. Only "manifestly criminal" content, such as child pornography, must be deleted as soon as it is brought to the attention of the "host" sites. But forced outing and defamation elude the law.

Of course the Net is a fantastic work and communication tool. But just as the speculative Internet "bubble" blew up excessively before it burst, the euphoria aroused by this new global free space has aroused a collective giddiness that has long masked the perverse effects of that space. Without even counting the increased possibilities of fraud and swindles, or the risks of addiction, the Internet has become, in fact, a weapon of mass diffusion for scuttlebutt and bogus news. A practical and formidable instrument for anonymous revenge, sometimes for threats. Throughout time, rumor has been able to destroy lives and reputations. The Internet amplifies that effect, offering new possibilities to all kinds of poison "pen" wielders.

If nothing is done, a sort of upside-down, inside-out Big Brother will establish itself. No one will be safe from the divulgation - at electronic speed and without any means to react - of real or invented episodes from their private life, whether or not intended to harm. We already know that potential employers can harvest more or less precise information about prospective employees from the Web, without anyone being aware of it. Writers or journalists are designated for prosecution and conviction or become the targets of "cyber-investigations."..........

[Yael]

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