Talk:Zhiyuan Sun
Comment from Zoe Zemper: This was a great data identity statement and a fun read. I found it really interesting that it was hard to find results that related directly to you because my name led to only results about myself so it was interesting to see the other side of this coin. I liked your discussion on the ethics of data brokers, and how the statement they have you verify of not using this information illegally doesn’t really mean much because it is anonymous. I also thought it was a good idea to look at celebrity’s information. I think you could dive deeper into the power dynamics there, and how celebrities with more money are empowered to obscure their information whereas those with less money don’t get to have that sense of control over their own information. How is this fair? As well, the example of the girl falsely accused of theft in China was very powerful in making a point about the importance of data privacy. I think this point could be brought up again in the conclusion to drive your message home. Great article!
Comment from Ray Bartlett
Zhiyuan,
I found your digital identity statement to be very engaging. Your analyses of each approach of searching were very compelling and focused, and I especially appreciated and admired the creativity you displayed when interpreting the limited results you found that were actually specific to you. Ideas like entering celebrities to Instant Checkmate in the absence of your own profile and explaining the reason for these types of services not existing in China went a long way in conveying to the audience the effort you put into your research and the amount of thought you put into both your methods and results.
In my opinion, the strongest aspect of this page was that it was entirely built around you specifically. By this I mean that it doesn’t get hung up on how these searches work; instead, you take the time to evaluate what it is about you that could influence these algorithms to give the results that they do. The anecdotes about your high school special examination and a very detailed explanation of the reasons your name wouldn’t narrow search results to a great extent both contribute significantly to your essay having a tight focus that never deviates from being about you. Well done!
One thing I believe could be expanded upon is your reasoning for wishing your online presence to be as small as possible. While examples like the girl accused of theft paint a general picture of why you dislike the concept of people knowing things about you online, this one aspect of the piece has less of the personal touch that’s present in the rest. Based on your conclusion, you obviously don’t want to reveal what the missing information is, but finding a way to convey this idea in a way more specific to you could further build the cohesiveness of your post. This was an excellent essay!
