More On Privacy In San Ramon

More On Privacy In San Ramon and the Boston Tea Party

It is interesting and rather distributing to find that some of our San Ramon elected officials and former elected officials give very little credence to the Privacy issues on the Internet. Maybe that is because some of them have been in the public spotlight for so long and having their names plastered on the Internet to such a degree, that in their mind, privacy has very little meaning. Elected officials actually to a large degree end up surrendering their privacy. That is one of the negative aspects of political life.

However, for those San Ramon citizens who work for employers or have other high profile jobs, not having their names online can be a wise decision. There have been well documented articles about new employers using Google Search to check up on new employees. They actually have been known to do background checks using the search engines. Now, some of you may think that having something online in your name is not a big deal, but to some it can be a huge impact on privacy. Every time your name is used online, an eternal Internet record is created in the Search Engines and other Web sites. This Internet record can never be expunged. For example, if you say something about any subject and then someone else comments on it at another website in a negative manor with quoting your name, now your name is forever linked on the other website. Other websites will also pick that same information up and republish it.

Take for example: Bob Patrino a planning commissioner for San Ramon. He apparently thinks the Internet privacy issue is a "bunch of hooey." He says on another website, "I don't take these "nameless" submittals very seriously." See Google Search for Bob Patrino

That is quite interesting from the standpoint that if that were really the case, then he would not have taken the time to write well thought out responses in a number of the postings at sanramontalk.blogspot.com.

Another example is Former Mayor, Mary Lou Oliver. She gives "no credibility to any comments that have no author." She said she could "find no one taking credit or responsibility for what was posted on the site." See Google Search for Mary Lou Oliver

She supposedly checked sanramontalk.blogspot.com "to see what issues were of interest to the community." However, she was more interested in the Who instead of the San Ramon Issues facing the community.

First off, the San Ramon Talk Blog is about the San Ramon issues, and not the WHO.

Second, privacy should be a concern for all. For our elected officials and former elected officials to put down privacy so lightly is showing a lack of responsibility to the privacy of their constituency and is also displaying a lack of understanding of how today's online technology can have a major impact on the privacy of individuals on the Internet.

Other examples of online discovery:
Mayor H. Abram Wilson
Carol J. Rowley
David E. Hudson
Jim Livingstone
Scott Perkins
These are all public figures above.

San Ramon Talk website has shown that the issues can be talked about in an open format while still maintaining privacy. No matter what the elected officials say, anyone can post an anonymous comment and truly be anonymous. If the comment is a well thought out stated opinion, then the comment will speak for itself. There have been excellent comments from both sides of the issues.

Other websites, including one in San Ramon have shown somewhat of a lack of understanding in the online privacy issue and the implications of posting information online. Maybe, that is why some San Ramon websites that have tried to run blogs in the past were not successful because the people did not feel that it was truly an open format for posting comments.

At the San Ramon Tribune, San Ramon Talk, San Ramon Talks Blog, and even this San Ramon Privacy blog you the reader have the power to voice your opinions. You are assured of the right to full privacy if that is your desire.

You may place Comments here and on the articles at SanRamonTalk.blogspot.com, SanRamontalks.blogspot.com, and also at the San Ramon Tribune online newspaper.

Sincerely,
San Ramon Talk

Descendants of The Boston Tea Party