Free Republic

A country and a people can be measured in its breath and its depth. A government can either choose breadth of control or depth of control—but it cannot have both. Breadth of control allows for governing a large area, but with only limited control and influence over those who live there. Depth of control allows for extensive control over the lives of a population, but such control requires government infrastructure of equal depth that is difficult to sustain or project over a large territory. One is a mile wide and an inch deep. The other is a mile deep and...

Miss New Jersey thought her online photos were private. So did an "American Idol" contestant from Point Pleasant. Amy Polumbo and Antonella Barba instead discovered that their racy just-for-fun photos, posted on members-only sites such as Facebook and MySpace, were accessible to everyone, including would-be blackmailers with modems. But it's not just Jersey girls who fail to realize that deleting images and gossip from Web pages -- or placing them in password-restricted areas -- can't keep them from prying eyes. Many people are at risk because they don't understand how data are stored and shared. "When you delete it, content...