Privacy in crises
Nov 26, 2009 What's Going On
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I was on my way to bed, about to turn off the computer. But I decided to check CNN.com, always a big mistake – I need to learn to just turn off the computer without “checking” a bunch of sites. And this article was at the top, about half-a-million text messages from September 11th that were leaked to the press. I had to read them, I was curious. They were there. But I wish they weren’t.
I had the same feeling reading them that I get when I hear 911 calls on TV. Someone in a crisis, needing help or comfort, reaching out. Do we need to edit ourselves now, for the possibility that those private, panicked moments will be released to the public at some later date? The world is not a reality show. Someone calling for an ambulance because someone is dying didn’t agree to have that raw emotion splashed across the evening news. Texters searching for loved ones shouldn’t have to worry that those texts will be made available to the public. It’s just not right. And I’m ashamed by my curiosity.
Originally posted on Selfish Mom. All opinions expressed on this website come straight from Amy unless otherwise noted. Please visit Amy’s Full Disclosure page for more information.
Tags: September 11th, text messages
