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Let's stretch the analogy a bit further. If the company representative is talking to me face to face and watching my reactions (Do I hear? Do I understand?) is

Let's stretch the analogy a bit further. If the company representative is talking to me face to face and watching my reactions (Do I hear? Do I understand?) is that unsettling? Do people cover their faces when they are in a shop/bank? No, it's a natural part of the communication. Email is just a form of communication. I believe, ut's not that harmless that someone received the confirmation that his message was opened. Of course things get a bit complicated when someone gets too much information, but simple opening emails/clicking links is something we should accept. When we are walking down the street hundreds of people see us, see what we do. Most people do not have a problem with that. I really can't understand what is so different in case of online activity, despite the fact that we are familiar with other people seeing us in real world and the Interent is still a mentally new territory for us. And this distinction between the off- and online privacy is something what actually can inhibit the development of online society imho.

mike-cardwell 12y ago
This is all down to what the user expects. When the user is having a face to face conversation with somebody, they expect and accept that person will be able to look at them and note their facial expressions and what they're saying. When somebody is sat at home opening a letter or an email, they don't expect the sender to know that they're doing it. Yes, many geeks understand that the sender will be able to see that they're doing it, but the average non-geek does not understand this.
- ArekDymalski 12y ago
  Yes, you're absolutely right. However, I believe that the proper direction is to change the people's expectations towards "I'm aware that typical consumer technology doesn't offer me anonymity, just like I can't expect to be anonymous/invisible on the street with typical behavior" instead of luring them into the illusion that the internet is some completely separate world.Off- and on-line will interweave more and more and society should adjust their expectations accordingly.
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mike-cardwell 12y ago

This is all down to what the user expects. When the user is having a face to face conversation with somebody, they expect and accept that person will be able to look at them and note their facial expressions and what they're saying. When somebody is sat at home opening a letter or an email, they don't expect the sender to know that they're doing it. Yes, many geeks understand that the sender will be able to see that they're doing it, but the average non-geek does not understand this.

ArekDymalski 12y ago
Yes, you're absolutely right. However, I believe that the proper direction is to change the people's expectations towards "I'm aware that typical consumer technology doesn't offer me anonymity, just like I can't expect to be anonymous/invisible on the street with typical behavior" instead of luring them into the illusion that the internet is some completely separate world.Off- and on-line will interweave more and more and society should adjust their expectations accordingly.

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