Google tool alerts vs personal data leaks, ‘online vigilantism’

A new tool from Google can help Google account owners maintain their online privacy as it alerts them whenever their personal data gets leaked online, whether accidentally by third party service providers or intentionally by online vigilantes. The tool, dubbed “Me on the Web," helps Google account holders monitor their identities on the web and control what information about them is online. “Your online identity is determined not only by what you post, but also by what others post about you – whether a mention in a blog post, a photo tag or a reply to a public status update. When someone searches for your name on a search engine like Google, the results that appear are a combination of information you’ve posted and information published by others," product manager Andreas Tuerk said in a blog post. Tuerk said it has become easier to publish information about oneself online, through powerful new platforms such as social networking sites and photo sharing services. Yet, he said it is possible third parties could have accidentally published online someone’s confidential information. He said the “Me on the Web" tool makes it easier to monitor one’s online presence, and even automatically suggests some search terms to monitor. “Me on the Web" also provides links to resources offering information on how to control what third-party information is posted about one on the web. “These include common tips like reaching out to the webmaster of a site to ask for the content to be taken down, or publishing additional information on your own to help make less relevant websites appear farther down in search results," he said. He said this is just one of Google’s first steps in continuing to explore ways to help make managing your identity online simpler. Email service alerts can be sent daily or weekly. Combating online vigilantism? A separate story on PC World explained that “Me on the Web" allows users to create email alerts that will be sent as soon as the information is uncovered by Google's search bot. But PC World also said the tool “might" be an attempt to combat online vigilantism, wherein a community attempts to expose individuals or hold them up to ridicule. It cited the case of a woman who found private details of herself being posted online when she was caught up in the scandal over Rep. Anthony Weiner’s photographs. Earlier this year, a user on the hugely popular social link site Reddit posted personal details about a suspected charity scammer in an attempt to unmask her. However, it turned out that both she and her cause were genuine, PC World said. Following yet more vigilantism attempts, Reddit introduced a rule than automatically bans users who post personal details about others, it said. “However, other sectors of the Internet don’t require a cause to deliberately post personal information about others," PC World said. It cited the LulzSec hacking group, which recently posted 26,000 e-mail addresses they claim to have reaped from pornographic websites. “Privacy is a politically hot topic, particularly in the mobile arena, with various senators proposing new laws to protect users. Facebook frequently runs into privacy issues, most recently with its photo tagging implementation," PC World noted. — MRT/LBG, GMA News