As reported in the Wilmington News Journal today, a company based in Louisville, Kentucky has been formed with the stated purpose of protecting one’s reputation on the Internet. I predict it will have an increasing demand for its services. Called "ReputationDefender", it promises to scour the Web for hurtful references and work to have them erased. In times past, libelous comments made in passing, casual conversation may have been soon forgotten after limited circulation. Now, however, with YouTube, blog posts and comments on blogs, My Space, Facebook, etc., many fail to realize that defamatory comments on websites, even if later erased, remain on the Internet with some level of permanency. I hope I never need their services, but it is useful to know that such a service purports to be available.