Of digital networks, virtual worlds, surrogate memories …

This post discusses some of the recent and up coming technological development and the potential privacy concerns.

If you look back at the last century, and now the beginning of this one, it is quite easy to see that the lot of the technological advancement we enjoy have been discovered, invented, and explored in this time period. Amateurs and professionals alike are constantly expending time and energy to create a conceptually and practically inspired idea. I suppose it’s the nature of our busy lives and increased expected interactivity with our social and professional groups that demand technology to make life convenient. Since a large population is now on the internet, it is but natural for newer concepts to evolve.

Websites such as www.facebook.com provide for users to create and sustain their social networks. It eliminates the need of venturing outside for social interaction. Moreover it gives the user the option of choosing who they want to socialize with (point of contention!) and can ‘ignore’ the people they rather not know. Facebook prides itself on its privacy settings. Well, I haven’t used Facebook so I am in no position to contest. However, I think that a social networking website such as this, where all your information and activities are uploaded for viewing, opens up possibilities for violators to try to sneak in. And it need not be a violator per say, the fact that a friend on my list can view my activities (new contacts, my updated pictures, my account activities, etc.) could be discomforting too.

In the online discussions, in my Media Studies’ course, we discussed Virtual worlds this week. For those unfamiliar with the concept, a virtual world is an interactive simulation of environments where users can register and create, alter and develop customized environments. For more detail on Virtual worlds, go to http://www.virtualworldsreview.com/ . You can also find a list of Virtual World websites and their reviews on the virtualworldsreview.

Virtual worlds are an amazing concept with wide possibilities! It is already used by educators to create classroom simulations, by users to create and ‘trade’ and interact and control their virtual environment. It’s so cool! I deem this kind of an interface provides for more anonymity than facebook. To be able to completely utilize the features of facebook.com, uploading close to true information is necessary. However, within a virtual world, you could be anything you want! It would protect your privacy more, simply because you could deal with all the elements within that virtual world and leave them there.

This interesting news article on www.cnn.com; ‘Digital age may bring total recall in future’ [ http://www.cnn.com/2006/TECH/10/16/explorers.memory/index.html ] talks about Gordon Bell, a computer engineer at Microsoft Corp. who is working on a devise that would contain the digitalized versions of almost everything in his life! It would act as a surrogate memory, an enhancement that would record everything that you want to and should have remembered. It’s the idea of keeping your digital assets saved through time. The article also talks about an invention by Sunil Vemuri that is on a ‘smaller scale’.

Ok, when you talk about digitalizing chunks of your life and all your memories, for me, the immediate reservation is the protection of these memories. It is a good thing that the creators Gordon Bell and Sunil Vemuri understand and are conscious of these security issues. But I wonder how much they’ll be able to do. Hackers, violators have always found a way to circumvent privacy and protection policies and technologies. Identity thefts are common… wouldn’t this digital diary help make it easier? What about users of digital diaries who might use the recording devices to the disadvantage of other people’s privacy?? Let’s see where this takes us…