Free Republic

Miss New Jersey thought her online photos were private. So did an "American Idol" contestant from Point Pleasant. Amy Polumbo and Antonella Barba instead discovered that their racy just-for-fun photos, posted on members-only sites such as Facebook and MySpace, were accessible to everyone, including would-be blackmailers with modems. But it's not just Jersey girls who fail to realize that deleting images and gossip from Web pages -- or placing them in password-restricted areas -- can't keep them from prying eyes. Many people are at risk because they don't understand how data are stored and shared. "When you delete it, content...

OCEAN CITY, New Jersey (AP) -- Miss New Jersey, trying to keep her crown in the midst of an alleged blackmail attempt, released photos Thursday showing her "not in a ladylike manner." She said she felt sick to her stomach. ....snip.... The pictures include one showing what Polumbo said was her boyfriend apparently biting her breast through her shirt, another of Polumbo in a limousine wearing jeans with her legs spread in the air, and another of her in what appears to be a Halloween costume dress holding two small pumpkins up to her breasts.