Rights and Responsibilities

In the digital world as in the real world, I feel we should have the right to privacy, the right to feel that we are safe and secure, and a limited right to free speech. Our private photos, passwords, financial records and other digital information should remain private. We should feel that our digital presence as well as our physical self should be safe and secure from attack. And we should be able to express ourselves freely, although I feel that there are limits to that freedom. Just like you cannot use speech that is intended to incite violence or other illegal activities, you cannot say things online that are intended to cause harm or cause people to engage in illegal activities. The challenge in this last freedom is in determining a person's intentions.

In order to enjoy these rights, there are many responsibilities we must consider. We are responsible to not share personal, private information and data with others who might use it against us. Do not post compromising photos on social media; do not share your passwords with anyone other than perhaps parents and spouses; do not allow anyone access to your financial information, again other than perhaps parents or spouses. One way to think about it is: Would you want that information posted as a headline on the front page of a newspaper or website? If the answer is "No!" then don't share it or post it. Further, we are equally responsible to not share information that was provided to us by another person with the expectation that it would remain private. Additionally we have a responsibility to avoid websites and people who are engaged in shady actions. That's like the proverbial "don't walk down a dark alley alone at night." While a person engaged in wrongdoing is certainly at fault, we would also be at fault if we put ourselves in situations that are likely to bring harm to us. Finally, when sharing opinions online, think about why you are sharing it. People who are trolling -- saying things with the sole intent being to get a reaction from others -- are not acting responsibly. People engaged in hate speech are not acting responsibly. People who are sharing their opinion with the purpose of causing another person physical or emotional pain are not acting responsibly.