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Denied Entry to U.S. because of LSD use 33 Years Ago
By One Eyed View | April 28, 2007
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I recently came across this article on one of the blogs I follow and had to comment. Here’s the short of it. A man was denied entry to the U.S. by border guards because he admitted to using LSD 33 years ago. How did the border guards know about this you might ask? Was this information on his “permanent record” somehow when they ran his I.D.? Nope. They Googled his name and found an article online where he admitted his LSD use! Read the artclie below for the full story.
Ghosts in the Machine: Google Search Blocks Canadian’s Entry into U.S.
Now, this got me to thinking of what the future holds for all of us who are actively blogging or any person who posts ANYTHING online…EVER. There are more social networking sites than I can mention here and every single one stores messages or posts written by members into databases on hard drives all over the world, essentially storing a digital record of every text, video, and audio file ever posted anywhere on the internet. Scary? Maybe, depending on who you ask.
One scenario I can envision is the use of this archived digital information in presidential canidate investigations thirty years from now. Imagine John Doe wants to run for president in 2037 when he’s fifty years old. Now imagine what John Doe is doing at this very moment, at twenty years old…and what he’s looking at and posting online. Think back to when you were twenty years old and the stupid things you did or said as part of the natural process of growing and maturing. Even scarier?
Dear John Doe, if you run for president in 2037 and you’re asked whether or not you inhaled in college, just be honest. The proof is out there and voters will respect you more if you’re honest.
Please comment with your thoughts, or other future scenarios you envision…positive or negative.
Topics: Community, New Media, Politics, Technology, You Should See This - Interesting Web Findings |
April 29th, 2007 at 9:21 am
I’m remembering when Clinton said he tried marijuana, but didn’t inhale. If Facebook or MySpace had been around when he was in college, he may have put all the details of his youth experiences online and years later a journalist - or blogger - would only have to Google or use the Wayback Machine to find all the intimate details.
Thanks for the link and for continuing the discussion on this topic!