Dean:

I have another spin on this topic for you, one that was not addressed in the article....

Forget the issue of privacy for a moment. My opinion, if you're interested, is that if you want privacy, stay the hell off the Internet.

And even that, as the article shows, doesn't prevent OTHERS from finding out about YOU.

Here's my question:

Will the combined phenomenon of Googling and Weblogs have a chilling effect on political and social discourse in this country?

Let me give you a real-world example:

I have a client who is, apparently, a devout Muslim, which, by itself, is of no real consequence to me. Like they say in Texas, it don't make me no never mind.

But, displayed in a place of prominence in the front office of his place of business is a rack of books.

Books by Edward Said and Noam Chomsky, among others. All of these books are by authors presenting ideas that I fundamentally disagree with.

Is this a problem for me? It was for a split second, but you know, business is business. Enough said.

On the other had, if the client (or his partners) were to Google "Ara Rubyan" they would find (in the first screen of 6,000 entries -- ha!) several of my posts at Dean's World. Including one entitled, "Ara Rubyan is a sick, sick, man." Heh. And that wasn't the most extreme part ...

They also would have found a link to a piece I wrote called "A Seder Story."

And they would have found more, much, much more, if they went past the first screen. Those of you who are familiar with my frequent rants here and at my blog E Pluribus Unum know of what I speak.

Suffice it to say that they might look at me askance after that.

For all I know it's already happened. It took a few ups and downs before we signed the first contract. First they said yes, then they said no, then yes again, finally.

For all I know this client's partners may have leaned on him to turn me down. In the end we did the deal and they like my performance.

But in the back of my mind is the thought that I may, some day, end up on a black-list somewhere because of my beliefs and writings.

And trust me, I'm not focusing this story on clients of mine that are devout adherents to ANY religion.

What about potential clients that are neo-conservatives? Or members of the Green Party? Or those who worship at the shrine of St. Ronald of Reagan? Or Bush 43?

At one time or another I've probably offended all of them. In fact, you could pretty much take anything I've written and use it out of context to damage my reputation, such as it is.

I mean, really, I liked Dr. Zhivago but I do not want to end up like him.

What if John Ashcroft wakes up one morning and decides that Part 3 of the Patriot Act includes rounding up people of my ethnic, political, and/or religious views? I present a rich target, shall we say. Let's just leave it at that.

It could happen to anyone reading this right now. Especially those of you who are, um, not shy about expressing your opinions here.

Is this a privacy issue? No.

Is this a potential violation of my First Amendment Rights? No.

Will it have a chilling effect on discourse in this country? Maybe.

Will it be a significant factor in my ability to make money in business? Perhaps. But maybe I gain clients who agree with me, you know? Although like Groucho Marx said, I wouldn't want to join any country club that would accept me as a member. Heh!

Seriously, though, will it fundamentally adjust the tone of discourse in the blogosphere? Can't say.

Those of you who believe in the power of the Net and the blogosphere might say that I've got it backwards, if you catch my drift.

What do you think?

I think the stuff about the attorney general aside (AGs are always lightning rods for these things I suppose) that you must assume people are going to read what you say and potentially use it against you.

I have toyed a few times with changing my blog and my URL to use a pseudonym. This is why Dr. Weevil does it. This is why "Jane Galt" does it, although she's less careful. It's why Media Minded and Page Minder and Angry White Girl all do it.

For now, I'm in a low enough level position in life that I don't think it matters. Will I rue the day that I started this? I hope not. I'd like to think I'd never want to work for someone who would not work with me just because of my politics. I'd never fire or fail to hire someone because of his political views. But not everyone thinks that way.

I don't see any way around this, honestly. :-(

you must assume people are going to read [about you] and potentially use it against you.

That was the whole point of the article, wasn't it?

Gives one pause, does it not?

Yes. This has me more than ever thinking about changing my domain name and taking my last name off everything.

I think that train has already left the station, baby.

Google "Dean Esmay" and you have 8,000 entries, dude.

Then there's the whole caching thing, you know?

[sigh]

Just give yourself up to the MPs before nightfall and everything will go nice and smooth, OK?

Dean, I don't find your site listed yet in the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine. Better act quickly-- once your site gets in there, it's preserved for posterity. :-)

As for people checking up on someone through Google, I know all too well how easy that is. Yes, I've succumbed to the temptation of researching a woman through Google before a date. Frightening how much you can find on a person in less than five minutes!

As for me, I'm fortunate. My name is a common one, and (as I've learned through Google) there are several other Paul Burgesses out there who are far better known than I am. Though I've reached the age where I pretty much don't give a damn, let the chips fall where they may. If someone really wants to ferret out, and be offended by, my opinions on semiotics, or evolution, or Jack Kerouac, it's all indexed in Google.

Well, there are things I don't write about that concern my past that are pre-Net, and are only the hidden back-drop of what I have come to believe.

And I didn't come up anywhere NEAR the first page of google hits on my full name until I started my blog (I think PageRank may take non-anonymous blogs into account somehow, as I've known others this has happened to).

I view it as a totally mixed blessing, and DO feel a chilling effect upon what I write at times, mostly in not being able to openly say why I believe certain things (and if certain indiscretions in my youth had happened merely a MONTH later, they'd be online in a certain database).

Ironically, I haven't been able to find any of my closest friends from the past in Google, not the ones' from high school (they're not even in the accursed Classmates.com system), several ex-lovers, and former fellow travellers from my more "Chemically Enhanced" days of habitual though-crime against the Nanny State (of late it is only enhanced by organic American Spirit cigs., coffe and occasional blood pressure relief via a glass of wine or a beer).

But at least I know those who know my right name can find ME if they want to.

And I've thought about starting up another site that's wholly unconnected to all of my previous online identities, and even going through an anonymizing proxy or 3 when setting it up.

So yes, it can be very chilling.