data safety

A recent somewhat shocking experience with the Web 2.0, in which I really lost control of my image (fortunately, the content isn't damaging for my reputation, but still) has inspired me the following thoughts. I'm posting them today as I was invited to a seminar by Dynamia about the safety of one's digital personal data (in French only), which was temporarily postponed. But I hope this can serve as a starting point for deeper reflexions that could be elaborated on in such gathering.

The metaphor of the "Global Village" has now been offering for more than 40 years a vision of a sort of "flat world", with no barriers, where people can meet peacefully and communicate seamlessly. Based on an idealistic conception of the village community (I live in a village, so I know what I'm talking about), this expression tends to completely oversee some less charming aspects of this way of life. Among them, I'd like to particularly point community's gaze, gossips, neighbor's malevolence. Moreover, the adjective "global", while giving us the illusion of being connected to the rest of world, makes us then forget that we are unfortunately first and foremost rooted in the local, made of family, friends, colleagues or fellow students. This results in us loosing some sense of discretion if not decency when we are active online. And I'm not talking about puritanism or prudishness here, but about protecting one's personal sphere.