Thursday, 6 August 2009

Artist exposes anonymous hatemailers using search

This was in the printed version of Wired this month but not online. Basically an artist who uses animals researched the anonymous hatemail she received to link it back to the original senders, and is publishing a book connecting the real people to the hate mail they sent.... all the information is public domain.

It raises interesting issues around the assumption of anonymity online, and how much information is easily available.

Wired reports the artist Tinkebell used Google, Yahoo, Windows Live search and a
RapLeaf API to link social networking profiles with email addresses.English article in Dutch newspaper NRC -http://www.nrc.nl/international/Features/article2243400.ece/Artist_publishes%20_hate_mail_received_after_killing_her_cat ...

and the artists website - www.tinkebell.com

1 comments:

Caitlin Ryan said...

I think her comments on privacy V public information are valid, however she comments that it is mainly teenage girls that sent the hate mail. I am not sure, if this is the case, that the punishment of public exposure and ridicule fits the crime of impassioned youth, and too much time on your hands.

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