Why You Can’t CONTROL Your Online Identity (and What to Do About It)

Since I’ve been writing about online privacy issues and critiquing the ways in which Google and Facebook mine our online behavior and that of our friends—often without our explicit knowledge or consent—many of my customers and colleagues have been sharing their own views about privacy and identity. Peter Horne, an Australian financial services technology architect and business strategist, has been an active member of “Patty’s Pioneers” for fifteen years. I like the way that Peter thinks about online privacy and identity management, so I asked him to put some thoughts together for our readers. In his article, “How to Think about Privacy and Managing Your Online Identity,” Peter offers a useful construct for understanding what we can control and what we can’t control in terms of our online personas. He also provides some pragmatic suggestions about how to minimize your risk, while still using Facebook and Google. You can read more of Pete’s thoughtful insights on his blog, echoedthoughts.com.