Social Networks and the Law

Social Networks, like other technologies are wonderful communication tools, but any time you are communicating with others, engaging in business online and selling you need to be aware of the implications of the law.

New York lawyer Fred Abramson writes a guest post on the legal implications of using social networks.

Listed below are 5 issues that you need to be aware of regarding the problems of using social networks.

Privacy: Some information that you provide on social networks are available to the general public, such as the name of your employer and photographs. As a result, any claim of a right to privacy to any material posted on social networking sites may be lost.

Identity Theft: Social networks contain a treasure trove of personal information. For instance, my Blackberry was recently stolen and the thieves were able to hack into my Facebook account. The information gleaned from the site, such as date of birth, mother's name and hometown could have been used by a thief to steal my identity.

Potential use in litigation: Such personal information can be obtained by legal adversaries and may be exploited if you are ever involved in a lawsuit. Before posting, think about how any information can be used against you

Defamation: Social Networking sites do not provide immunity from defamation laws. Expressing your views about Britney Spears may be fine, but watch out for any defamatory comments that you make regarding anyone else.

Intellectual Property:There are no special laws shielding users of social networks from trademark and copyright laws.