Twitterstalking by Zosia Bielski, Globe and Mail (Apr 2)
Observations about a new book on the use of social networking tools such as Twitter for spying on others:
Hal Niedzviecki, "the Toronto-based social commentator is examining how social networking tools such as Twitter are changing values in his eighth book, The Peep Diaries: How We're Learning to Love Watching Ourselves and our Neighbors, which will be published in May".
This form of spying is widespread: "A recent survey of 1,724 Britons by Yasni.co.uk, a search engine for tracking down people, found that 54 per cent of respondents had used networks such as Twitter to peer in on an ex's life. For some of the respondents, harvesting intelligence became addictive, with one-quarter saying they regularly “check up on” exes."
In case you didn't know: "Twitter allows non-users to track others' profiles by simply Googling them. The service does let users block certain followers or lock their profiles so people have to request to follow them, but few are doing this as it “is completely contrary to the point of Twitter,” Mr. Niedzviecki said."
If you don't want to be followed, don't leave "digital crumbs".
Posted by Gwen at April 3, 2009 11:20 AM