After looking further into blogging aggregators like Disqus and also services like Rapleaf, I am getting a glimpse into the future of the online identity, (id-entity..;0). For those that do not know, this is the username you use when you login or post on a blog. There is a movement towards consolidating it with shifts towards things like Open ID, as well as rating and verifying it, (Disqus and Rapleaf and others). These are discussed as a means for establishing accountability. I understand this, but we need to make sure that those who are controlling these rating mechanisms, are themselves monitored and subject to review, just as credit bureaus eventually needed to be.
Most people probably do not remember how silently credit bureaus came to hold so much power. It was very similar to what is happening with the online ID rating systems. A system was put into place, they found businesses to use it, and it began to determine all aspects of our life. After numerous people fell victim to false information, it became regulated. We don’t want to have to wait that long, or suffer the damage, with the Online Identity rating systems being built today.
Since our online persona/ID, is now tracked and rated, it becomes an entity, that has rights, and responsibilities. This seems awfully similar to the definition of a corporate entity. Will there be laws in the future, that are set up to legally establish the online entity as a legal person, separate from that of our birth identity?
Here is an example that brought some of this to mind. I did a little test on one of these new services. I won’t include the name, because my interest is not to criticize a company, but to explore ideas.
This is a new company. When you sign up, you create your username, again, usually the one you use online on other sites. You can also add your blog, if you moderate one. When you or others add comments, they can be rated by users whose “clout” has a high enough rating. How do you get a clout rating? Well, as it turns out, I was told, this process is done behind closed doors, and is not available to the public. If you write a comment someone does not like, they can rate it, up or down. That makes sense. But, apparently, the company itself can ignore these “points”, and decide to show them or not, and ultimately determine your “clout”.
This is very dangerous when you consider future uses. As our on-line persona starts to equal our credit rating in importance to our business or professional credibility, having it be unmonitored, and without culpability is very risky. If someone is blacklisted because they were a whistle-blower, or if they belong to the wrong political party, this type of free range rating system could be easily abused. And you thought those involved in development believed information wants to be free? I think this is a mis-perception. Most of those in development seem to model their work on gaming strategies, which makes sense. But you have to remember, gaming is about hunt, capture, and winning, at all costs.
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