Daniel J. Solove holds the readers’ hands and guides them through the debate over privacy and free flow of information on the Internet. With everything going digital, Solove reminds readers in his book The Future of Reputation: Gossip, Rumor and Privacy on the Internet of the drawbacks and potential public relations blunders that can arise from social media. Compiling many of his blog posts, Solove provides a complete and holistic view of the legal problems stemming from gossip and privacy issues on the Internet.
The book is filled with precautionary tales and examples of gossip and rumors that grew exponentially over the Internet. For example, Solove discusses a woman in South Korea who refuses to pick up her dog’s feces on a subway. Prior to YouTube and other content sharing websites, this incident would have enraged just the fellow riders and those whom they told. Unfortunately for this woman, someone captured the incident with their smartphone and posted it to the web. The footage went viral, and the woman became known as “dog poop girl” around the globe. The woman ultimately had to change her name and place of residence. Through the lens of the web, the ritual of shaming is.
Many people believe that the Internet’s free flow of information is supposed to make the world a more free and transparent place. Solove, however, argues that with out regulation, this free flow of information can in fact limit and eliminate opportunities for many people who use the Internet. For example, when an employer searches an applicant’s name, a newspaper article about an applicant’s DUI when he was seventeen years old can appear. This may cause the man to believe that this article will hamper his ability to find a job. In the past, this newspaper article would fade from memory. Now the Internet continues to make this archived article readily accessible.
While many other legal books are dry and confusing, Solove approaches the potential legal issues in a way that readers can understand. He makes a potentially boring topic interesting to read. Despite being filled with examples and some legal jargon, the book is a surprisingly quick and relatively easy read. Public Relations practitioners can benefit from the cautionary tales of posting information to the Internet and the informative arguments for increased privacy regulations on the web.
The book is filled with precautionary tales and examples of gossip and rumors that grew exponentially over the Internet. For example, Solove discusses a woman in South Korea who refuses to pick up her dog’s feces on a subway. Prior to YouTube and other content sharing websites, this incident would have enraged just the fellow riders and those whom they told. Unfortunately for this woman, someone captured the incident with their smartphone and posted it to the web. The footage went viral, and the woman became known as “dog poop girl” around the globe. The woman ultimately had to change her name and place of residence. Through the lens of the web, the ritual of shaming is.
Many people believe that the Internet’s free flow of information is supposed to make the world a more free and transparent place. Solove, however, argues that with out regulation, this free flow of information can in fact limit and eliminate opportunities for many people who use the Internet. For example, when an employer searches an applicant’s name, a newspaper article about an applicant’s DUI when he was seventeen years old can appear. This may cause the man to believe that this article will hamper his ability to find a job. In the past, this newspaper article would fade from memory. Now the Internet continues to make this archived article readily accessible.
While many other legal books are dry and confusing, Solove approaches the potential legal issues in a way that readers can understand. He makes a potentially boring topic interesting to read. Despite being filled with examples and some legal jargon, the book is a surprisingly quick and relatively easy read. Public Relations practitioners can benefit from the cautionary tales of posting information to the Internet and the informative arguments for increased privacy regulations on the web.
Kathleen Riley
University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill
University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill