AREN'T PRIVATE INST. MESSAGES CONFIDENTIAL? How could they become public and be printed all over the newspaper?
Isn't this an invasion of the boy's privacy (assuming it's true that the family did not want this publicized) and of Foley's privacy?
Do we now have to worry that our private IMs are NOT private?
AREN'T PRIVATE INST. MESSAGES CONFIDENTIAL? How could they become public and be printed all over the newspaper? Isn't this an invasion of the boy's privacy (assuming it's true that the family did not want this publicized) and of Foley's privacy? Do we now have to worry that our private IMs are NOT private?
There are two different communications here. The boy whose parents didn't want publicity or further investigation on behalf of their son sent EMAILs to Representative Alexander's staffer.
The IMs - according to ABC - were sent to ABC by other former pages after the initial story was broadcast. If the recipients (the pages) chose to give the IM correspondance to ABC, there isn't an invasion of privacy.
It's an excellent illustration of a wise saying: "Don't post anything you wouldn't want to see on the front page of a newspaper."
Do we now have to worry that our private IMs are NOT private?
not if you are having benign conversations...
There is NOTHING you do online that is private. The Feds can get to every bit of it. AOL is very agreeable to handing over chat logs to the authorities if asked.
If you save them and hand them over then they are not private.
Instant Messages have to be affirmativly saved.
Nothing you do online is private.
Treat online communications the way we used to treat written letters . . . if you would be embarrassed to see it published on the front page of your local paper, it's better not to write it down.