For my com 430z class I read an article by Michael Zimmer called "The externalities of search 2.0; The emerging privacy threats when the drive for the perfect search engine meets Web 2.0."


Zimmer starts this article out by talking about the creating "perfect search engine" that supplies users accurate information and at a high rate of speed. These search engines would remember your old searches so it can make future searches better. Instead of searching for keywords we would be able to type in full sentences and receive a relevant answer. He mentions that in order to have a "perfect search engine" you must have "perfect reach" and "perfect recall". These would give access to all information available on the World Wide Web and would deliver the personalized results depending on who the person searching is.


He continues in his article with the prevalence of personal information that can be accessed on the Web 2.0. Explaining that users (especially younger ones) are very lose with giving out personal information. Zimmer is also concerned with the amount of privacy that we have. At one point in his article he talks about Lack of "Privacy via Obscurity" speaking about the fact that we can look up people using google which can also be used for finding out background information on people that may even be used in pre employment hiring decisions.


By the end of the article he talks about the possible effects that searching could have. He talks about things such as the "Disciplinary power, Panoptic Sorting, and Invisibility and Allure of Search 2.0."


Great things are offered by search 2.0 but there are always people looking to take advantage of mistakes that other people may make. Identity theft is a huge issue with credit cards and things of that nature. As technology progresses it is moving to the web. I have always been one to watch what I say and be sure not to release too much personal information. At first I was even scared to give my credit card number to Ebay until I learned about secure sites and things of that nature. Many people do not realize that even giving out their last name on the web could place them in serious problems. I really think that Zimmer is trying to point out issues such as privacy so we will be more careful with our personal information.




References
Zimmer, Michael. (2008). The externalities of search 2.0; The emerging privacy threats when the drive for the perfect search engine meets Web 2.0. First Monday, 13. Retrieved August 21, 2008 from http://www.uic.edu/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/2136/1944