Most of us have already read about Digg refusing to remove a hacked code for DVD - DRM which has now been plastered all over the Internet. But few of us may know about what is called the Streisand effect and how it can influence what we see and hear on the Internet and why the Internet is a portal that even major companies don’t know how to deal with. In fact the Internet is a phenomenal portal of information that our legislative and legal system is going to be struggling with for years to come and IMHO don’t have a clue to what it is all about.

It seems that in 2005 a photographer had posted on a website, photos in which he was trying to show the effects of coastal erosion. Included in the photographs was a picture of Barbara Streisands house. She sued the photographer for $50 million big ones and hit him with a cease and desist order. This plan totally back fired when the photograph was then plastered all over the Internet. To bad Barbara, you can’t sue the world!
Which brings us to this current event. Now I’m not going to get involved in any legal issues, nor judge who is right or wrong. What I do find extremely interesting is how a vocal group of folks can come together and circumvent what should of been a simple matter of just removing the crack. Yet the folks at Digg had two options. Bear the brunt of ire from the folks who visit their site or comply with the order.

Does this latest episode show that the folks on the Internet can wield the mighty sword of public opinion effectively or was this just a fluke?

What do you think?

Comments welcome.

[tags]digg, public, opinion, crack, [/tags]