Prop 8 Maps—Tracking You Down

It is a strange clash between the good of political integrity and transparency, and the basic right to be left alone. Call it the right to privacy, or if that is too penumbrous, say that harassment—stalking, profane emails, death threats—is really best avoided for civic good.

For the second time in a month, the New York Times calls readers’ attention to a sophisticated but user-friendly new website, www.eightmaps.com . “A mash-up of Google Maps and Prop 8 Donors,” reads the site’s headline. “Proposition 8 changed the California state constitution to prohibit same-sex marriage. These are the people who donated in order to pass it.” And what follows is a map of whatever US city strikes one’s fancy, with little flags at each offending house.

Click on a flag, and the donor’s name, street, profession, and donation amount appear. With that information and a modicum of Internet wherewithal, it’s an easy task to find the precise house and email address of each culprit. For what’s the point of such a site, except to incite trouble?

The NY Times remarks :

Some donors to groups supporting the measure have received death threats and envelopes containing a powdery white substance, and their businesses have been boycotted.

The targets of this harassment blame a controversial and provocative Web site, eightmaps.com . . . . Eightmaps.com is the latest, most striking example of how information collected through disclosure laws intended to increase the transparency of the political process, magnified by the powerful lens of the Web, may be undermining the same democratic values that the regulations were to promote.

With tools like eightmaps—and there are bound to be more of them—strident political partisans can challenge their opponents directly, one voter at a time. The results, some activists fear, could discourage people from participating in the political process altogether.

It’s an ironic thing to receive hate-mail for supposed hatred, to be harassed for supposed harassment—all for participating in a just democratic process.