A left-wing college professor, best known for his book "How the Irish Became White," has been the victim of an internet spoof that claims (1) he retired two years ago and (2) before retiring he gave a speech and/or interview in which he call for the extermination of the white race, preferably by suicide. None of the the above was true, and yet he's been forced to face the farce ever since it got posted on the net.
https://chroniclevitae.com/news/1014-a-professor-tries-to-beat-back-a-news-spoof-that-won-t-go-away?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en
Betty Davis once supposedly remarked that "Yesterday's newspaper is tomorrow's toilet paper." And, indeed, back in the days of print media and radio, stories dissipated. You could live them down. But today, they persist, potentially forever, on the worldwide web.
That's the point a PR-professional I know wrote a memorable and insightful piece when a local dean of students was indicted for hazing here in New Jersey. The indictment was a cruel publicity stunt by a politically ambitious county prosecutor and ought to have died with the politico's career. But, as the PR guy noted, the poor dean is now "indicted forever."
http://www.nj.com/opinion/times/editorials/index.ssf?/base/news-0/1188878799209570.xml
Equally annoying, if not downright dangerous, is the ease and persistence of identity theft, due to the internet.
http://www.identitytheft.info/internetsecurity.aspx
In fact it is now possible to have a whole alternative life --- whether we want one or not --- out in the Blogosphere.
http://terrortrials.blogspot.com/2013/11/from-second-life-to-bitcoin-when.html
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