The Internet that knew too much

Earlier this month Google’s Chief Business Officer said we had to decide between “trust and convenience” when considering how our information is shared online.

The trade off seems to be between ease of use and the notion of personal information, and while internet companies appear to be leaving the choice up to us, we can all sometimes feel that we are being subtlety nudged on to give away more information about ourselves. We are obliged to use social networks like Facebook so we don’t miss friends’ birthdays, professional networks like LinkedIn to drive business, and location services like Foursquare to battle with workmates over who is Mayor of the office (as Alex and Lorna are so fond of).

Personal information is being shared more readily and as well as our physical presence our digital counterpart is becoming much more interesting to others, perhaps becoming more interesting than we actually are ourselves. In addition to the usual likes and dislikes, we now share information on spending preferences, the way we commute to work and how many miles we ran on the treadmill last night. For some, sharing this information presents no significant problem, but others might feel uncomfortable with the idea. After all, our online interactions are now overseen by companies for whom information, not time, is money.

What needs to be decided is whether this shift in behaviour comes from the consumer or whether it is the gatekeepers to our online world driving it forward, and this is not so easy a distinction to make. If we are willing to give away more information then there is no problem (I for one don’t mind people knowing the company I work for and what amazing taste in music I have) but the choice needs to remain with us.