I Spy With My Eye...Everything About Your Internet Life

Here in America, we love our privacy. In fact, we value it so much back in the day we made an amendment to our constitution to make sure British soldiers (or lobsterbacks as I like to say) couldn't come into our houses and do as they please, i.e. drink tea, eat crumpets, say something about the Queen. This fundamental notion of privacy is a large part of our culture; the idea that our property and lives should be kept private and be respected. We have confidential files, authorities must obtain search warrants before entering our house, we have passwords for virtually everything, and the list goes on and on. However, it seems that with the rise and proliferation of the internet our sacred right to privacy has been slowly chipped away piece by piece. Therefore, it is high time we examine this conundrum!

Back when the internet first began to rise in popularity (remember when everyone had American Online?), there wasn't too much to worry about. Dial-up access was costly, intolerably slow, and limited the time and speed of our connectivity to the very limited virtual network that existed. But now, with the rise and dominance of broadband internet connections, it is easier and more affordable for users to constantly be connected to the internet. For example, people now pay their bills exclusively online. They set their bank accounts to be automatically connected to their bill collectors, so that money is withdrawn from them as soon as the bill is released. With iPhones and other mobile phone devices we can instantly be connected to the internet at any point in time. With applications like SnapMyLife, you can take a picture, instantly upload it on their social network and have friends and peers comment on it, within seconds of taking a picture! It seems the more technology is produced, the closer our lives become integrated entangled within this interweb.

This is not a bad thing. With greater connectivity we have learned we can do amazing things through public relations, advertising, charity outreach, blah blah blah etc. But what has happened to our beloved privacy? That bill you paid with your online account setup, most assuredly had your bank account number saved in the annals of the internet, most likely with your social security number. An easy goldmine for a hacker with minimal skills! The photos you took on your iPhone of you chuggin Zimas with Hannah Montana is available for the world to see, and since you're most assuredly under 21, now you're parents, teachers, coaches, and preachers all know you are a very young alcoholic. Yes, now we can be connected within a moment's notice, but what we fail to recognize at times is that very fact, WE ARE CONNECTED. When you post to the internet, you have now entered the public sphere, an its practically public domain. Privacy is not really a counterpart of connectivity. It stands in the way of full networking and integration. How many of us enjoy firewalls, member's only websites, or facebook profiles of our ex's that are set only to private? It seems to be a full member of this online network, one must give up a large portion of their anonymity to fully participate in the evergrowing online network.

But what if I told you, this was no longer so? What if someone created a social network that allowed you to post pictures of all your frat party keggers, upload as many videos of you 'cranking dat Soulja Boy' dance, and you never had to worry about an employer, stalker, or the worst of both of these an "employer stalker" (I don't know if those exist, but imagine if they did!) browsing upon your private life. In fact, it is truly the best of both worlds. A social network with connectivity that is determined solely by you. But, alas, no one has made such a thing right? WRONG.

I would like to introduce to you MOLI. Designed by financial transaction veterans who understand the need for secure transactions, MOLI's members, consisting of enterprising individuals, groups and small businesses, can control their privacy by managing multiple profiles in one account. Members can then segment their social, business and family relationships as well as attain more control using three levels of permission - public, private and hidden - to determine who can and cannot access their profile information. In addition, members can add low-cost, online store capabilities to sell their products and services within the global community. MOLI membership is free as are most of the interactive tools. It allows for a user to be connected and still be private. And from a public relations stand point it is also a win. For advertisers, the appeal of professionally created content in specific channels provides a higher degree of confidence that their message will reside within an appropriate context for their brand. Privacy + networking = Awesome.

You probably are familiar with the Andy Warhol quote about how in the future everybody will be famous for 15 minutes. Well, we know with the internet, it has become increasingly easier to become a "celebrity". And it seems far too many people are willing to forgo privacy just to achieve the status of "celebrity". But I feel renowned and infamous artist Banksy is more correct in his quote, "I think Andy Warhol got it wrong: in the future, so many people are going to become famous that one day everybody will end up being anonymous for 15 minutes." Instead of asking ourselves what is the price of fame, we must ask ourselves "how much will we be willing to pay for anonymity?"