Tag Archives: Twitter

How private are your posts on Facebook and your tweets on Twitter? If you think the answer depends only on how you configure your privacy or security settings for your accounts, you might be in for a rude awakening – at least if you’re ever involved in a court case. Two recent cases illustrate that if you step into a courthouse – whether intentionally, as a plaintiff in a civil suit, or not so intentionally as a defendant or even …

As social media provides more and more ways to connect with others and spread information, employers have begun to use social media polices as a way to regulate their employees’ activities on sites such as Facebook and Twitter. That would be fine if companies’ efforts were narrowly aimed at restricting their employees from discussing trade secrets or confidential financial information online, for example. But some employers are going too far, according to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), which is …

A Texas couple was awarded $13.8 million by a jury for defamation after anonymous posters to the Internet site Topix.com accused them of being sexual deviants, rapists, and drug dealers. Mark and Rhonda Lesher said they had to move out of town and sell Rhonda’s salon and day spa because of the nasty online comments. The jury awarded the couple $13.78 million in damages for mental anguish, loss of reputation, and Mrs. Lesher’s loss of business. Mr. Lesher, who is …

Jurors in California may want to leave their smartphones at home thanks to a new law passed earlier this year that bans jurors from accessing Twitter, Facebook or going online to receive or provide information about the trial. The new rule was enacted as a way to curb jurors from compromising a case. Legal experts say this rule was inevitable and will likely be adopted by other jurisdictions. “Non-sequestered jurors are exposed to more information in today’s world,” says Mitch …

A computer analyst provided a glimpse into Rutgers University student Tyler Clementi’s final hours before he jumped to his death from the George Washington Bridge on Sept. 22, 2010. Clementi’s roommate, Dharun Ravi, faces 15 criminal charges for allegedly using a Webcam to secretly spy on Clementi as he engaged in intimate contact with another man. According to the expert witness, Clementi checked Ravi’s Twitter page 59 times over a 9-day period. Ravi had used Twitter to promote the live …