Has this happened to you?

You send someone a personal communication, whether it be by PM, email or IM, in which you express information you would like to be kept private and confidential, just between the two of you, and you find out later they shared it with someone else?

Is that just a breach of personal trust, or is there more to it?

Many websites and organizations have Privacy Policies and Statements to assure their users that their Rights to Privacy are respected. But, when are individuals going to start practicing the same tenets? The laws which govern the organizations also govern communications between individuals.

It is all too easy, while on the Internet to get too friendly with the people you meet. People often forget that written communications are not the same as face to face over a cup of coffee. Something, in this case a computer, stands between you. That makes it even less personal than using a telephone.

In my regular work in security, my company attaches Notices of Privilege and Confidentiality to every one of their written communications. It's not fine print. I have begun to do likewise with every email that I send, especially if they are personal. It is simply a short statement reminding the recipient of their responsibilities in relation to the sender. The impersonal nature of Internet communications is a reality that we all have to deal with. It's not enough to trust to luck!

 

Yes, it never ceases to amaze me how people can take the contents of something called a "PM" ( PRIVATE Message) and broadcast it all over the Internet in a forum (doesn't get much lower on the evolutionary scale than that).

And, while I never keep chat histories on any of the IM programs that I use, I've gotten cold chills from seeing some of the stuff that other people keep.

Everyone definitely needs to keep that in mind - every single thing that you type to someone can be kept by them forever - or until they decide to use it.

Don't give your mouth (or in this case, your fingers) the opportunity to come back and bite you. Pete

 

Yes indeed..it utterly amazes me how some people have used the PM as a cop out and the things they say in them. Many tend to say one thing to someone they know then the opposite to another. Many cases to undermind the intergrity of a group or organization.

Sad stuff.

I see many power struggles going on with personal lives. They are all good people..but find it hard to work together in a group.



Just as Ben said... The discontented Man finds no easy Chair.
He that speaks much, is much mistaken.

 

Thanks Pete!

In addition to breaches of trust, I cannot count the number of times that I have been quoted out-of-context or completely misinterpreted. This equally applies to posts, eh?

I saw someone's signature yesterday that made me laugh about this.

The views expressed in this post are not necessarily those of the poster. (Good one!)

In the past, I did trust to luck. I expected the other person had a basic understanding of keeping a confidence. Not anymore. In my regular work, if you break the confidentiality, you can be fired. If an individual does this, they risk losing your trust and your friendship. They will experience a denial of messages. It's tough, but what else can you do?

I had hoped this thread might also act as a heads-up to newbies. Be cautious. Especially on the Internet, things/people are not often as they seem to be.

Best regards from Larry

 

I've always added that footer to my emails, but it is only words, unless it is backed up. It is too easy to trust people who appear friendly online, when the truth is the relationship is as virtual and unreal as the cyberspace it exists within.

Yes, it an absolute breach of trust, and not one you should forgive easily. Right now some Aussie is still picking his jewels off the floor of another forum after I found he shared a private mail of mine with a community. There are times when one forgets one is a gentleman.