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Archive for legal problems with social media

Social Media Legalese

The rumor mill has it that one of the new social networks is so large that it could be the third largest country in the world. That means it could have the third largest problems in the world too. This will bring to mind that there are some legal problems with social media. So included with your plan for covering your social networking strategies, include this in it.
Many social networking tribes use the main social network platforms for a variety of reasons. One of the most common here is to network with friends and acquaintances for business purposes. Updating your status many times a week helps to keep you in the mind of tribes that you may want to do business with.
The law in this area is changing constantly and we hope for the better. It is wise to be aware of these few issues .
Tribes that are using Social networking have to obey the law s regarding copyright infringement and trademark laws. There are no special rights granted here. These are sometimes referred to as Intellectual Property.
Along the same lines , Social Network sites do not confer immunity from defamation laws. Be careful of any flaming or derogatory comments that you make when talking about someone else.
Be aware that a lot of the information you provide to the network is available publicly. Things such as the name of your main employer or photographs that may put you in a compromising position. The problem here is that if you later want to claim that it is private, you may find it difficult.
So much is said about identity theft today and a lot of it is true. Social networks ask for a lot of information when you sign up and this information can be stolen. I tell most of my clients to use a PO box for this pupose. Just in case there is someone out there looking for you. Let’s just say that your favorite I-Phone gets misplaced.
This might give someone the opportunity to hack into one of your social network accounts and steal your information. Your personal information could be used to open accounts in your name and buy stuff that you may have to pay for.
Not only that, but personal information can be used against you in a court of law. Does that sound familiar? Just think about how this information may be seen down the road.
Some of these things may seem like common sense, they did to me. Then I was reminded of the family that went to Florida for a week and told all their social media networking friends about it. When they got home , the furniture was gone.
I would like to hear from my many fans about experiences with this. Go ahead and shoot me an email , or better yet, make a comment on my blog.
Until next time.