michelle2b
06-03-2010, 04:15 AM
I came across the issue of privacy in the age of google while reading Kate's thread about interviewing. And Karan asked an interesting question in that thread, which I am trying to answer here. In addition, I wonder how to resolve this privacy issue.
As per http://www.squidoo.com/personalInformation -
"If the state of Florida has public records about your subject, they might show up in your search results.Florida joins five other states - Arizona, California, Utah, Virginia and Michigan - already participating in Google's effort. Google hopes to get local governments involved in the effort."
This might answer Karan's question.
Our name change should not become a matter in the public domain online because it compromises our private medical/health information to the entire world, namely that we are trans and have undergone some extent of gender transition. This exposes us to greater risk of ostracism, discrimination, physical harm, and in my case a major risk to the lives of my family abroad.
How do we get some protection for the privacy of trans people? We can't just agree that "privacy is dead" because if we do some of us will be dead. Any ideas on what we can do to prevent the link between our old names and new names appearing online for the whole world to see?
Ideally, our name change records should remain with courts only for people with a genuine private need for the information to go make a valid request for the information in person after providing their (the requester's) own complete personally identifiable information for legal action in case of any misuse of information provided to them.
Hi Kaitlyn,
My legal name change was in November 1988 and the Google connection did't occur until this year. I'm not sure when Google started, probably after 2000. So it took about 10 years for the two names to become associated. Why did it take so long? The information was published so many years ago; why did it show just this year?
Karan
P.S. I did Google as you suggested and no name change notice came up, but both gender names came up as associated.
As per http://www.squidoo.com/personalInformation -
"If the state of Florida has public records about your subject, they might show up in your search results.Florida joins five other states - Arizona, California, Utah, Virginia and Michigan - already participating in Google's effort. Google hopes to get local governments involved in the effort."
This might answer Karan's question.
Our name change should not become a matter in the public domain online because it compromises our private medical/health information to the entire world, namely that we are trans and have undergone some extent of gender transition. This exposes us to greater risk of ostracism, discrimination, physical harm, and in my case a major risk to the lives of my family abroad.
How do we get some protection for the privacy of trans people? We can't just agree that "privacy is dead" because if we do some of us will be dead. Any ideas on what we can do to prevent the link between our old names and new names appearing online for the whole world to see?
Ideally, our name change records should remain with courts only for people with a genuine private need for the information to go make a valid request for the information in person after providing their (the requester's) own complete personally identifiable information for legal action in case of any misuse of information provided to them.
Hi Kaitlyn,
My legal name change was in November 1988 and the Google connection did't occur until this year. I'm not sure when Google started, probably after 2000. So it took about 10 years for the two names to become associated. Why did it take so long? The information was published so many years ago; why did it show just this year?
Karan
P.S. I did Google as you suggested and no name change notice came up, but both gender names came up as associated.