It makes me think a lot and worry. I understand that in an age of terrorism, countries need to protect themselves and their citizens and gathering as much information as they can about everyone is a good way to find the rotten eggs in the basket, but while I don't have concerns about my government knowing about what I am up to, law abiding as I am, not having the control of what is done with this information and who else it might reach is a little unnerving.
Having said all that, let me tell you how I first discovered the Internet. I signed up with my first ISP, back then I had to fill out a written form and mail it to them, to receive a letter back. (I had to buy my modem separately)
The form obviously asked for my personal details and billing information, but it also asked me to specify something that would be public, my first email address. I chose 'skywalker' @ipfb.net. Never even considering to have my first or even worse full name on there. I guess the idea of connecting to something that is reaching right around the globe, to so many people that it's probably impossible to comprehend and I was somehow hoping to be able to choose when I wanted to remain anonymous and when I would trust someone to know who I am. Later came a new ISP and another and another, somewhere in between there was ICQ and GeoCities, then another website. A few forums and finally I found SucicideGirls.com in search for people who get me and a community who doesn't judge you for who you are and what you like or dislike and just lets you be yourself.
Yes, that's what SG was for me. I felt like I could be me and that it was good to be me.
It was also a place, kind of like a diary, to share private things, knowing that I could control who would read them, my friends on the site or members, who as I said above seemed to be those kind of people, you could trust and mostly were not associated with my 'real' life.
This is what made SG like a 'secret society' of sorts. I'd introduce my SG friends to my real life friends with their real name, but only people who I knew would be cool with SG, would know about the true connections and all the friends I have made on the site over the years, I'd trust that they would know the information I share on here is only for SG folk.
Let us fast forward a few years. Then, there was Facebook... I was shocked. I had known so many people from forums who had always been so worried about disguising themselves and were now suddenly sharing their life online and it was the biggest thing since Coca-Cola.
Yes, if you know where to look, you can find me on there, but it's always my censored self and in recent times, I have been thinking about seriously cutting down on my digital footprint and I was going to start with Facebook. It has simply gotten too big and it seems out of control. It also makes me sad that it takes away actual human interaction. What do I have to talk to about with the person whose every day in life I can follow anyway?
I think this is probably getting too long, so long story short, my plan was... I will lose all the baggage and stick with SG, because:
- I pay money, so why would the need to sell my data.
- It is private and easy to control who can see what.
Now... yesterday morning some disturbing news reached me. There is a website out there, where you can read all blogs I wrote who used to be members only. Is that true? That would be a little scary... well and then there is the fact that if people from my 'real life' knew I was paying to 'look at naked ladies on the web' it might not go down so well with everyone. Especially considering that SG for me and probably for most people is much more than that, but how do you explain that to the average person?
So right now, I don't know what to think... I want to trust Missy and the staff to do the right thing, but I am also worried. In the worst case scenario, I might have a job to lose, or friends who don't approve of certain things I might have written about.
The place I trusted the most with my innermost feelings and private thoughts, has me balanced on a knife's edge and I paid for it.
It's a strange world... should I delete my Facebook account? What do you think?