The Future of Privacy

I read a really cool short story a few years ago, and, searching for it's name, I found it's available free online now. It's called The Right's Tough by Robert J. Sawyer. http://www.webscription.net/chapters/0743488385/0743488385___2.htm. It provides a glimpse into a hypothetical future where nothing is private, and individuals essentially crowd-source rating each other. While in many ways, the future it portrays is utopian, it also shows a rather staggering dark side.

To a large extent, even with Facebook and the internet, when people publicly do stupid things or make mistakes it is widely known for a while, but then leaves the public eye. As a positive, this means that people can be forgiven or at least forgotten, and then continue with their lives. The same happens with private matters, but there is always the fear that something might escape. The Right's Tough represents a world where everyone can automatically filter people based on their past deeds--regardless of how long ago they happened. It's filling in for what our memory often (and perhaps to our benefit) falls to do. While a part of me thinks that a world like the one in The Right's Tough would probably be very pleasant, I think it may also be very stressful. One stupid mistake and you could be excommunicated.

Just as one closing thought, does anyone else see the combined use of Facebook/Twitter/Foursquare as heading this direction?