This post was originally published in French only. We translated it in 2026 so the archive reads the same in both languages. Read the original →
To echo the latest trend... and today's theme!
It's true that among young people, this kind of transparency can be seen as proof of love. Some concerns and passions belong to each age group rather than to each generation. For as long as humans have been human, adolescence has been a time when everything is extreme. Romeo and Juliet's passionate love is a fine illustration of the madness young people go through when they fall in love… which mellows with age ;-)
I believe the urge to put ourselves on display like this is deeply rooted in the human psyche, and that technology finally makes it easy to satisfy that urge. Instant stardom, without having to go through the selection process imposed by the world of television.
From a security standpoint, giving out your password goes against common sense, perhaps for lack of better tools being made available to young people. Because handing out your password to anyone and everyone is much more than giving them a peek at your stuff: it gives them total control over your online actions. You become the virtual puppet of the people you share your password with, since they can do whatever they want with it: change your information, post comments in your name, act on your behalf, make commitments on your behalf. Given that we are legally responsible for our actions online, it amounts to handing full control of your life and your civil liability to someone else… who doesn't necessarily always have your best interests at heart. It's a form of group tyranny used to control its members.
While respecting this desire for openness, systems should develop mechanisms that let us share our information without allowing it to be modified. In the corporate world, this concept is widely used for mailboxes and access to information, where you can delegate access without having to share your password with everyone.