CSM Cites McGeveran on Online Identity Services

The Christian Science Monitor quoted Associate Professor William McGeveran in a November 29, 2006 feature story about online identity management services that attempt to help individuals control online information about themselves. The various profiled services take different approaches when they seek out personal information on the internet – some verify its authenticity, other try to add context, and others attempt to eliminate negative information. McGeveran, a privacy scholar, noted that in most cases individuals themselves released the information, and suggested, “The safest way to get the cat back in the bag is to not let it out in the first place.” He also contrasted the common practice of American employers to conduct online searches of job applicants with a new legal decision in Finland prohibiting such online investigation.