The Quest for a Clean Slate Building and Protecting Reputation in the Cyberworld

Abstract

ICT technology has multiplied the possibilities for presenting who one is in the Cyberworld. The means for creating, maintaining but also of losing a good reputation have increased exponentially with an international audience now just a click away. However, these means can also be employed for abusive or, at least, purposes for which they were not intended, with undesired revelations, cyber-bullying and the creation of fake identities potentially ending in cyber-homicide. The Quest for a Clean Slate thus comprises multiple obstacles at various levels much like an adventure video game; no sooner are the obstacles, opponents and traps defeated or overcome and the level accomplished, than the next level begins presenting a whole host of new challenges and threats. The reputation warrior, equipped with a sword entitled "freedom to self-determination" and a humble shield entitled "legal redress", is thus thrown into the ever expanding and changing landscape of swamps and wilderness that is the Cyberworld. This paper attempts to present a sneak preview into the various levels of the Quest for a Clean Slate, the online reputation game, depicting its challenges, pitfalls and the possible means for overcoming these latter.