User Rights?
The social web expands by the very minute as innovation continues to develop and new users continue to join. With such a vast and ever expanding platform, should there be underlining guidelines; a so- called Bill of Rights to protect users? Robert Scoble thinks the “real issue is that people just don’t care about this”, maybe so, but that doesn’t change the fact that people have started and are still actively talking about this topic. They are engaged in dialogue which means that there are a lot of users out there that do care and that are interested.
The ‘Bill of Rights’ definitely raises important questions about what user rights are and what users should expect when dealing with the social web. The three key points highlighted are Ownership, Control and Freedom. Ownership of the user’s personal information, control over this personal information and freedom to grant access to this personal information, if desired. These key points seem fundamental; basic guidelines if you will, and as a social web user I would like to have ownership, control and freedom over my personal information. Unfortunately, I know that this is not true. The saying goes that once you put something on the web, it will always be there and is not longer private or yours. You take that risk every time you join a new social network, blog or even make comments. Your private information and thoughts are out there for just about anyone to find or see. That’s why I think having a Bill of Rights would be reassuring and even beneficial, but I just don’t think it would work in regards to the social web. As the social web continues to expand these “user rights” pose challenges to both the users and the various sites that they use.
Who knows what will happen in the future, maybe there will be more regulations and more ‘terms of agreement,” and/or maybe more users will demand their fundamental user rights, establishing and embracing an actual Bill of Rights. What I do know is that you have to be a smart user. It’s very easy to be reckless on the social web and sometimes it’s important to approach with caution.
