Medialab Prado

“Privacy is dead” and “Fighting Web Anonymity” are the primary messages proclaimed by Internet giants and governments all over the world. But it’s not that simple. There are many nuances to consider.

Internet anonymity cannot always be seen as negative. To the contrary, in countries like Iran or China, using mechanisms for protecting one’s real identity can make the difference between going to jail or not.

Social media like Facebook or Google + have highly restrictive user policies forcing users to supply their real full names. That enables the companies to segment user profiles more effectively to find out what their tastes and hobbies are. That information is of great value to companies. Recently, thanks to pressure form users, Google + has relaxed their policies a bit and allows pseudonyms provided that they are names known in a regular way in their social circles.

Creating an Internet identity is of interest to all users, since every message they publish has a direct influence on their social reputation.

Over the last year, Twitter’s exponential growth in Spain has enabled many journalists and public figures to use the Internet to speak out and to manage their own reputations directly. In Spain, basic communication errors made by singers David Bisbal and Alejandro Sanz are quite well-known. Politicians and leaders make mistakes on social media and end up losing their jobs due to the media repercussions of their out of place remarks.

Journalists on traditional media have also started using these social media to be closer to their readers, make their work known, and use it as a filter for other news on current issues.

Reputation, identity and meritocracy are terms to keep in mind when one uses the Internet as a way to be known." By Antonio Delgado

In our discusson of these subjects, at this #redada meeting, we will have the following guests:

- Eva Hache, TV presenter and actress
- Carmela Rios, news reporter on Cuatro
- Marilín Gonzalo, content director at Hipertextual and blogger
- Julio Alonso, founder and director of Weblogs SL
- Pablo Herreros, journalist, partner at Goodwill Comunicación
- Rodrigo Miranda, ddirector of Shackleton Buzz&Press

More information: http://www.redada.es/