Candidate Pattern: Others First

Summary	Managing the tensions between identity and responsibility to others, where identity is enmeshed with others.
Status	alpha	Confidence	2
details...		Group	Digital Identities

Problem

Parents who create an online identity for themselves that includes any images of and text about their children inevitably create an online identity for those children. The children have no control over how they are presented or who they are presented to.

The problems that arise from this include:

• Potential embarrassment (of the children) in the short and long term
• Ethically, is it up to a parent to create an ID for her children?
• The permanence of the created identity has the potential to affect their adult life (for good or ill).
• The information may be inappropriately represented, errors amplified and false conclusions drawn.
• A child's identity changes over time as they try out new identities, go with fashions or whatever.
• Association with unsolicited communication (to either parent or child)
• The created identity can interfere with the identity the children create for themselves in future.

Context

These issues are relevant to people who need to manage their own or others' online identities and who need to maintain their safety online.

This has particular poignancy to vulnerable populations.

Solution

Awareness, service selection (choose a service that offers good privacy protection). For example, granular control over who can access the text and images.

The child's views and integrity must be respected. Put them first.

Accept that managing online identities is an ongoing task that requires effort and vigilance.

Concrete solutions include:

• Deleting photos,
• Changing access permissions from public to private contacts,
• Adding appropriate reproduction rights e.g. creative commons
• In Flickr - blocking the 'favouriting' of a photo by other members
• Digitally altering the photo with a warning or similar
• Consulting the child/person who is in the picture that they are happy to see it online
• Monitor and control tagging of your photos

Future solutions: Add DRM to the image Legacy photos which reassign rights at a later date so other can delete or manage them

Notes, Links and References

Liabilities, potential risks, extensions, expected side-effects

Licensing

This work is licenced under a Creative Commons Licence.