Browse Books

Reviewer: James Speybroeck

This book is an in-depth study on the impact of the Internet in affecting and effecting one's reputation. Solove also explores ways in which society can limit the destructive ability of the Internet to demean and humiliate people, without violating the First Amendment. Essentially, Solove confronts the complex and frustrating task of balancing privacy and free speech. In many respects, he faces this same frustration throughout his book. For every instance of violating one's reputation, dignity, and privacy, there is, to any solution, a corresponding danger that lessens the essential freedom of speech. After an introductory chapter detailing how one young person's reputation was tarnished by the exploitation of a thoughtless act, Solove relates the demographics of blogging and the meteoric rise in teen use of Web sites for sharing information. Chapter 2 explores the whole concept of reputation: what it is, how it is built, and its importance to one's personal and professional life. Solove explains how the free flow of information both helps and constrains us. With the whole world of marvelous information at our fingertips, that same world can destroy a reputation in as little as a few hours. Chapters 3 and 4 discuss gossip and shaming. While it is probably annoying to many of us to see people violating norms of conduct by rude and inappropriate behavior, does that give us the right to photograph and depict them on the Web, along with our judgmental conclusions__?__ Solove shows that gossip and shaming are simply not clear cut in terms of their danger or value. His review of the history of public gossip and shaming, both rampant in exploitation and yellow journalism, is of special interest, indicating that bloggers are certainly not the first to spread rumor and innuendo. The second part of the book details Solove's recommendations for balance between privacy and freedom of speech in the cyber world of the Internet. He discusses the authoritarian versus the libertarian views of privacy, and suggests a middle road of new laws that will protect without restricting one's right to disseminate knowledge. He promotes a system of law where individuals can seek redress without going through the trauma of a public trial, but, instead, through a type of mediation. However, he also states that the threat of a trial should always be made clear to the combatants. Solove mentions one idea that many of us have considered-the possibility that in the cyber-space age, privacy may be a thing of the past. Such a thought is chilling and yet, considering the complexity of the Internet, it may very well be a reality. This book is of value not only as a fascinating journey into the world of the Internet and a brilliant discussion on the relation between the First Amendment and the right to privacy, but also for the thought-provoking ethical dilemmas that Solove introduces along the way. Online Computing Reviews Service