Erasing David

It's SXSW again, and while we had every intent to skip this year due to whatevers, a pair of badges landed in our laps earlier this morning.  After a flurry of organizing it up and amazingly being denied at the Paramount for the opening night film, my wife and I ended up at the cozy little Hideout for the U.S. Premiere of this British documentary.

Filmmaker David Bond, having been notified that his government lost information about him and his daughter, starts to wonder just exactly what part of his life is out there to be discovered.  Each piece of information shared with the government or a business becomes part of a collection, one that when compiled can reveal far more than desired.  Putting this to the test, he chooses to disappear for 30 days.  Meanwhile, he has hired two private investigators to track him down, starting with only his name and face.  Can he last the month, or is there already far too much out there waiting to be found?

The film jumps between David alone on the run, his investigators as they gather up his life and try to predict his moves, and interviews and research on privacy conducted before the adventure began.  I thought it was a well-edited, solid documentary, very well suited for the blend of film and interactive content that is the first weekend of SXSW.  Privacy has become a choice of how much you are willing to reveal to get the services you desire.

Erasing David
2009, directed by David Bond and Melinda McDougall

Edit 3/22/10: It's rather hilarious that this story came out just a week later:
http://abcnews.go.com/International/facebook-finds-mafia-boss/story?id=10124958