I had a conversation recently about Facebook, and whether following FB postings is stalking, creepy, illegal, etc.

Here are my thoughts on this topic, and from my perspective versus a legal perspective.

-If you put something on the web, you should expect anyone to read it and access it eventually. Your content is only as secure as the people you allow access to said content, therefore, not secure. If you don't allow at least one person to access, you wouldn't post anything.

-If you put something on the web, you should expect that it will be on the front page of your local newspaper the next day. Not comfortable about that? Don't broadcast �it� to even one person via text, email, vmail, PM, IM, SMS, Ipad, Ipod, Xbox live, Playstation...

-For the OI thread and BS's, you should have no fear of being accused of �stalking� or someone monitoring your web searches.. Unless you do something illegal, you can click away all you'd like. Whitepages and Facebook aren't illegal folks. Neither are Spokeo, and county auditor sites. Ip addresses are tracked all over the place, but not useful in a court of law without serious probable cause..as in murder (see Casey Anthony investigation).


We live in an era that is very �Back to the Future�...back to the days where the wiseguys had to walk out to the parking lot and cover their mouths while talking so that the Feds couldn't read their lips. I sorta like that.

We are where we are, for better or worse...know it and live it. Buyer beware...don't post what you don't want to be broadcast on the front page of anything.

End rant.

Now that you posted this, I dont see you like a surfer with blond hair and white stuff on your nose, sand between you toes.
But as someone from "Revenge of the Nurds".

But all kidding aside, I think you are totally correct in your assessments. If someone wants to spy and look into your life, they can find a way to do it, so if you are going to say anything on the net, you better be ready to defend it, or at least take credit for it.

Its big brother now and God help those that post out of frustration, or say something that can be twisted and misconstrued. Popular spin doctors make a living out of that stuff, so choose your words wisely. If you have ever been tripped up with your own words, you can imagine that at the scale of the internet, where the audience is larger, and the risk of embarrassment is too.

Sometimes people just dig a hole for themselves. But we are limited to words to communicate events, ideas, and philosphys, and people should be ready to defend what they say, and the easist way to do that, is to beleive in it as the truth. Then you can be asked later the same thing in different words, and give the same answer in different words, words only being one way to express what we believe in, the beliefs being the source.

As far as spying goes, on spouses that are suspect, I think it is fine, and in this day and age, a valuable tool of protection. With all the tecnologies available to carry on relationships that are not connected to thier spouse, its akin to walking up to a guy hitting on your wife, and telling him to buzz off, because you have his number. Spying is like you were there and cared, just like you would be there IRL if he was talking to her. There are tons of creeps in the world, they just went underground more with chatroom, FB, and texting.

Happy hunting folks