My old university roommate and classmate, Mr. Alexis Bose, recently contacted me looking for a list of our former addresses for work purposes. After some reflection, I basically had most of the events in my mind straight. The exact apartment numbers mind you, I have no idea of. But this got me wondering about how much of my past I could piece together with google, since, the web is supposed to mean the end of forgetting.
What I learned is that the web doesn’t forget but it doesn’t put things together for you either. That is, while it might be out there somewhere, putting together a complete social history based on the various disparate information sources is not a sure thing. It sort of reminds me of that episode in the Office where Michael, trying to cover up a rumour he started decides to bury it with a ton of other rumours. The truth is out there but it’s getting buried every day in more and more information.
So does the internet help you remember? Sort of. Am I worried that other people might be able to steal my identity based on all the information out there? Not without a lot of work.
Famous last words possibly? For sure.
