Legal Questions? / Legal Answers!
Who Else Is Looking At Your Personal Words
And Pictures?
"There are no forms to discuss here.
No real legal issues. Just my thoughts on
who can look at and get your personal information
and what it may mean to you. Facebook and
MySpace are great examples of showing the
world your true self ...or maybe not. Point
is, people will judge you by the information
you post and the pictures you provide the
world to see. Remember that people may even
judge you. by the friends you keep. I have
always suggested to people that they should
never show their address or phone numbers
on their pages. If your friends want to see
you or talk to you, shouldn't they already
have your address and phone number? I just
wanted to show a few examples of how Facebook
/ MySpace sites may be used by different Organizations."
If the Police need to find someone, chances
are they also look on Facebook and MySpace.
The Police may start here in their effort
to locate people they are interested in.
OK, so there are 300 "Sam Jones"
listed. They could never find the right one,
could they? The Police don't necessarily
have to be looking for you to end up on your
page. All they need is a name. That name
could lead them to your page, which may lead
them onto your friend's page. The "friend"
they were looking for. All they need is a
place to start. The internet sure has made
it a little more easy to find someone quickly.
Providing your address and cell phone number
on a personal page makes it even easier.
How about your school? Do you have a school
Police Officer? Do you think they may check
a student's Facebook / MySpace page if that
student is known to visit the Principal's
office a little more than most? Perhaps that
student's friends as well?
If your looking for a job and your posting
how great it is to party all the time and
providing pictures to prove it. You may be
providing a personal resume you may not want
your prospective employer to look up. If
you don't think some Employers seek out your
personal pages before deciding to hire you,
think again. Getting information on you that
way could be faster than running a background
check. Maybe a little change in your page
may be necessary, at least until the job
is yours.
Have you just applied for a rental apartment?
Then you made out an application. The information
on that application will also ensure they
get the right "Sam Jones" on their
search on Facebook / MySpace. Wouldn't you
check, if you were a landlord who owned an
apartment building?
Remember that bill you didn't pay? They can't
find you now because you have moved and you
have a cell phone instead of a land line
phone. The land line phone number was always
listed in the phonebook. The cell phone number
is not. However, companies have 7 years to
pursue claims against you. If you list the
number of your cell phone on your page or
your address, they will contact you sooner
or later.
Are you...
Going through a Divorce or fighting for Parental
Rights?
Trying to regain Custody of your children?
Being Investigated by Child Protective Services?
Need I say more?
Cleaning up your Personal Pages may be a
good idea. You may not want to see your printed
out Personal Pages as "evidence"
in court. Maybe you will even "lose"
that job you had your eye on. My point is,
remember who may be searching for you and
looking at your personal pages!
My Final Thought...
"The internet does a lot of great things.
The knowledge and information it provides
has made finding answers quick and easy.
As I mentioned, I have been on the internet
since 1993. I have always made it a point
to keep a low profile. However, with the
arrival of Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter,
I have found that keeping a low profile these
days, is close to impossible. We do have
control over what is seen by others though.
Listing your favorite books or movies is
fine. Where you go to school, where you live,
your phone number or when you leaving your
house unattended for a week to go on vacation,
probably not a good idea. I invite you all
to go Google your name and see how much information
the world sees about you."
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