Google never forgets, while beware of Facebook and Twitter slip-ups: Editor’s Eye comment (From News Shopper)

Google never forgets, while beware of Facebook and Twitter slip-ups: Editor’s Eye comment

3:41pm Tuesday 5th February 2013 in News By Andrew Parkes, News Shopper editor

CAN you believe the stuff people write on Facebook or Twitter?

I never cease to be amazed by the complete lack of discretion and thought shown by some dipsticks.

Just this week I’ve witnessed one guy accidentally reveal his new sexual orientation, a professional colleague (who should know better) expressing a personal opinion of a workmate and one little scumbag who chose to detail his latest, sordid criminal act.

Perhaps I’ve got it wrong and social networks are the new medium for confessing your sins?

This, of course, isn’t the case and increasingly many people, and in particular, young people, are coming to regret their words shared via cyberspace, not to mention some of the lurid images they foolishly share with their schoolmates.

However, at least items posted on Facebook can be restricted or, if later regretted, deleted. Websites on the internet are not so forgiving.

Every week I get requests from people who want something deleted from our site. It might just have been a night’s drinking which got a little out of hand, an old unpaid council tax bill or even a political group which seemed a good idea when you were a student. But all these things, thanks to the power of the internet can come back to haunt you — not least because new employers love to do a quick Google search.

Not that I’m pretending to be holier than thou, as I’ve been on night outs which didn’t end too well, attended a few student demos and even had the odd brush with the law — and they’ve all been reported.

But, and here’s the rub, you’ll never be able to find the details. However, if I’d lived my youth in the 1990s or later, rather than a couple of decades earlier, I’d have to live with these things forever.

Have you ever got into a tangle over something you've said or done online? Ever you ever revealed any sins or secrets on the web? Add your comments below.