The recent uproars--one at Hewlett-Packard over obtaining phone records illegally and the other with the instant messaging Congressman--are a sober reminder that almost everything we do leaves tracks these days. In both of these cases, someone other than the intended recipient of the electronic records ended up with the information, legally or illegally.
There are several implications. One is that we had all better understand the technology we are using before we use it. As obvious as this sounds, the Congressman probably thought his IM text was disappearing as soon as the conversation was over. But it wasn't.
Even the telephone is changing. While the old-fashioned phone system records what time calls were made and to whom, it does not record the call itself. While anyone can do that, it requires a lot of fussing with wires and recorders. But the new software-based VoIP systems will happily record phone conversations on your hard drive with the click of your mouse.
What does this mean? It means face to face meetings are not likely to go out of style entirely, for all sorts of good and bad reasons. And I think that is a good thing.