Stalking the Stalkers
August 10th, 2010
I have a shtick I sometimes pull out when I’m forced to wear a paper name tag at parties. I write “Anonymous” instead of my real name, and introduce myself by saying, “Hello, I’m Anonymous. Perhaps you’ve read some of my work.” People usually giggle, and then they look at me strangely. I don’t blame them. The names and identities we present to each other in real life could be fiction, but usually when they are it’s considered socially unacceptable if not criminal to put on a false face.
Identity on the internet is a little different, though. Many of our most sophisticated trust systems developed out of the necessity to exchange secure information online between known parties, but once “broadcast” channels like the Web were developed, publishers could expect to put information “out there” for anyone with access to see. Communication was replaced with voyeurism. This led to many of the most annoying aspects of the internet, namely trolls and stalkers, who usually thrive under the cover of anonymity. However, since participation in the broadcast channels isn’t mandatory, trolls and stalkers are seen as part of the risk you take for whatever gain you’re getting from the medium.
Most online interaction until very recently wasn’t easily trackable or assignable to an individual. This freed us to explore things online we would never feel comfortable doing in real life for fear of social reprisal, etc. This could mean a kid in a conservative Christian neighborhood could read books and explore ideas that were otherwise forbidden. It could mean a victim of domestic violence could find information on starting a new life without arousing as much suspicion. It could mean an employee or government official could become a whistleblower more easily. Of course, it could also mean that a man could look at child porn.
The tension between publicity and anonymity became a serious problem as soon as people IRL caught on to the fact that we were all posting online, and some of what we were posting were things we only published within the context of our online interaction. We never intended them to be attributed to our “real” identities, and even if we didn’t mind if they were, taken out of context they could be made to seem damaging. Suddenly, online anonymity ceased to exist, and relatively innocent people have lost jobs, families, friends, and reputations over it.
The benefits to being able to track broadcast channel traffic through tools like Google Analytics are obvious: it allows us to catch wrong-doers like stalkers and child abusers (literally, in their tracks), it allows businesses to better cater their messages to customers, and it deepens the relationship between performer and voyeur by allowing us to know exactly who is watching and what they like best. However, it’s also further bridging the gap between online and IRL interaction. Recently, I had a conversation with a geek at a party that went something like this:
“So I saw you visit my blog a lot.”
“Really?”
“I have Google Analytics. I logged your IP.”
“Oh.”
“You first visited right after we met. Did you Google me or something?”
“Well, yeah. You said you were a blogger, so I thought I’d check it out.”
“So you’re stalking me?”
“If that’s what you want to call it, sure. You’re the one who’s logging my IP.”
When we are each identifiable by a geolocated IP address, suddenly we are no longer free to look at a webpage without first thinking, “do I want people to know I go here?” Sure, there’s accountability in that, but there’s also a certain degree of control. I’m much more likely to visit a webpage than visit a bar or a party, and much, much more likely to read a blog than go on a date. Unfortunately, those of us who share both online and real life relationships don’t always know how seriously we should treat online versus real life behavior.
Sometimes, as is the case with legitimate stalking, it should be taken seriously. We should practice awareness to guard against potential threats. Most of the time, though, I don’t really care who is looking at my stuff, and it makes me uneasy to think that the Web Is Watching Me. So, I’m installing the Google Analytics Opt-Out Plug-In (http://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout). Stalkers of the internet, unite!