From an early age we've been told to be careful with what we post on the Internet as it would likely catch up with us one day.
For California Internet users under the age of 18, such words of wisdom became obsolete as of Monday when California Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill that will prevent advertising of 'unsuitable' goods to minors and allow them to remove content they post online.
The bill in question, SB 658, with what has become known as the "eraser provision" requires websites where California minors are registered to have a way to delete content they have posted.
While at face value the legislation seems positive in that it will protect minors from advertisers and from "frequently self-reveal[ing] before they self-reflect," per Jim Steyer, CEO of Common Sense Media, we question whether the ability to erase will do more harm than good.
One of the reasons for the legislation was its potential to prevent cyberbullying. Though some cyberbullies may reconsider their words before they cause too much damage and repeal them, others may allow their harmful remarks to be seen, do their damage and "erase" them thereby deleting the evidence of what they did.
Additionally, the legislation fails in that it cannot completely delete these posts from the worldwide web. The opportunity to screenshot posts, as has been a problem for Snapchat, will continue to prevent complete erase capability, as will the web files that allow any content to be a web search away (whether or not it was deleted from a site).
While we understand and appreciate that California legislators are looking out for the well-being of these adolescents, especially as they apply for college and jobs, we also wonder whether this will inhibit accountability. Teaching kids that everything they do can be erased and forgotten seems like a dangerous lesson. Words spoken between two people cannot be taken back, nor can human actions. Why should web postings receive special protection?
As college students, we contend that if this "erasure" right should exist it should blanket college students and some young adults or cover everyone, regardless of age. People often make larger mistakes or post more regrettable content during college years; see Erodr, Snapchat, Facebook, Twitter, etc., for example. While in theory, lessons on Internet responsibility should sink in by the time students reach college institutions, very often they do not. If young children are learning they don't have to be accountable for their postings, chances are high that college-level content will get that much worse.