Comments on: Are Social Networks Your Home on the Web?

By: wilwaldon

wilwaldon — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 21:32:48 +0000

The web is entertainment, plain and simple. If people can take legal action over something on the web, I’m sure people will sue TV and Radio for offensive content next.

By: somecallmejosh

somecallmejosh — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 13:15:14 +0000

@Tyssen – That’s funny. I think I’m more concerned with our secret service, who isn’t trained to defend against a thrown shoe at our “president.”

Let’s add Squidoo to the list. Maybe Plaxo? How bout Twitter? Uhh… maybe some forum entries? While we’re at it, let’s add Sitepoint to the list. I’m sure I’ve made a comment somewhere in the Sitepoint Forums and Blogs that can be used against me in a court of law. Anyone ever complained about a client on Sitepoint?

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 02:59:41 +0000

because by the time he got around to it, they’d changed their privacy settings to prevent receiving messages from non-friends.

Perhaps the lawyer could pose as an old friend from school… then WHAM!… lost your house…

By: Tyssen

Tyssen — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 21:58:33 +0000

Using an online service such as Facebook to serve legal documents clearly isn’t ideal

No, clearly not because publicity about the move obviously reached the couple before the lawyer got around to sending them a message via Facebook, because by the time he got around to it, they’d changed their privacy settings to prevent receiving messages from non-friends.

By: NetNerd85

NetNerd85 — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 14:09:46 +0000

sounds silly

By: Stevie D

Stevie D — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 13:33:16 +0000

Let’s get things in perspective here. The lawyer had tried all the traditional methods of serving the papers, but had been unable to trace or contact the couple. To continue to hunt them through those traditional methods could have been a slow, expensive and ultimately fruitless search; the alternative would have been to give up altogether.

Using an online service such as Facebook to serve legal documents clearly isn’t ideal, but it works as a means of last resort, which is how it was used in this case. No-one is saying that all legal papers will be sent by Facebook instead of in the post or knocking on someone’s door, but if that is the only known way to contact someone, it will be used.

By: Tyssen

Tyssen — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 12:08:13 +0000

That’s exactly the kind of crap a country that lacks a simple Bill of Rights does to it’s citizens.

At least we didn’t elect George Bush as president. :P

By: Rafael

Rafael — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 09:59:08 +0000

I think that it´s not relevant as you don´t sign in with a proof that it´s really you even with a digital signature or any at all, I wouldn ´t tell Facebook a proof of Identity.

By: nachenko

nachenko — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 09:32:09 +0000

The problem with this is that, at the same time you get your papers, Facebook gets a copy of them.

And, who can check that the user that is getting these papers is really me or it’s just using some dude using my computer?

By: dmj1973

dmj1973 — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 08:36:23 +0000

So how long then before we will see people on forums such as this one served with legal papers ?

Not that anyone who frequents sitepoint has such problems as we all make such huge sums of cash ! :)

By: roosevelt

roosevelt — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 05:04:06 +0000

Facebook is just an entertainment. You get to see people, meet people, and watch ads on your left and right.

So, it’s better to keep it that way.

By: me

me — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 02:30:05 +0000

That’s exactly the kind of crap a country that lacks a simple Bill of Rights does to it’s citizens. It’s a ridiculous suggestion on the courts behalf that, that is a suitable delivery method. Australia prides itself on being this open society that is so advanced and democratic, when at the end of the day, the government just does as they please, and in this case, so do the courts.