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Forget Big Brother: Facebook, Corporations, and the End of Free Speech

speculative

Feelin' FiNe
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Canadian woman loses benefits over Facebook photo - Yahoo! News

This intersecting of real life and Internet worlds such as Facebook and Myspace has got to stop. It is so ironic that we are living in the age of Big Brother, and it turns out it's self-imposed because people post TMI on the Internet. Even if this person was truly having fun at these events, as shown by the pictures, does that overturn a doctor's diagnosis of clinical depression?

It's time for another round of fair labor law legislation that bars employers from stepping into employee's personal lives on the Internet. It is truly ridiculous, when veterans of Internet forums (such as anyone reading this post) realize that 100% of anything anyone posts on the Internet could be 100% made-up falsehoods anyway, in which case the companies would be basing real-life decisions on malarky.

Where is the public outrage over these continual occurrences? Make no mistake, even if you just flip burgers in the corner fast food joint, your employer is monitoring you 24/7. Soon, we'll all have to wear that McDonald's smile everywhere we go, even while we are sleeping, or risk termination.

There's so much to be outraged about every day now, that it seems like this concept of privacy outsidethe workplace is lost on the general public. Are you fine with getting fired if you go to the beach, post a picture of your trip to your Facebook account, and your employer fires you the next day because they thought your bathing suit was a bit too skimpy/innappropriate and there's absolutely nothing you can do about it because of the current labor laws? :confused:
 

Billy

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I got busted for a personal blog site I used to do years back, it was pretty R rated in terms of language and occasional pictures ( girl friday photos) I was required to remove it and or shut it down if I didn't want to be fired. I still to this day have no idea how they found it, but I was pretty pissed about having to can it, it had a really good traffic flow. Even though I never utilized it at work, they said I "represented" them and It had to go or I did.
 

speculative

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Edit: I am going to try a test, to see if I can find what I deleted still roaming around out there on the Internet.

Catch you on the flip side.
 

Tiltyred

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Ah, the calming influence of Haagen Daz!

Hey, it was the same when newspapers first came out. You learn not to write everything you think and definitely not to post pictures of everything you do. Honestly, I don't feel threatened by the new transparency -- it works both ways -- but if you're out on disability for depression, yeah, might be smart not to have your picture taken out partying and PUT IT ON THE INTERNET FOR THE WORLD TO SEE. (Is there a disablity category for bad judgment and TMI?)
 

speculative

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Tinfoil hat much?

I've moved to lead. Much more durable. :D

Actually, there's so many stories like this out there now that the particular link I posted is nothing special, just another drop in the bucket, but I felt like taking the opportunity to write about the subject.

Filled out a job application for a franchise/retail/big corporation lately? Their 105-question psych evals make it clear that if you do not think in very particular thought patterns that match "accepted" patterns, you will not even make it in the door. Even robots would not have such a narrow margin of error in their AI subroutines...

I better think on this overnight. Off to ice cream land...
 

Thalassa

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I really hate facebook, my livejournal is mostly "friends only", and my photos are locked to friends only on My Space

but, yeah, it's creepy - employers shouldn't be digging into people's personal lives like that, I know what you mean :dont:

Tinfoil hat much?

apparently you don't realize how easy it is for, say, teachers to lose their jobs over pictures of them drinking a beer in a bikini posted on My Space
 

FDG

pathwise dependent
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Yeah, it's a really lame story, esp. since she was taking the vaction because her doctor advised her to, to relieve the depression. However, that's how private insurance companies work (and that's also why I am not in favor of private health care and related).

It's worse with employers, because I feel like only my performance should matter on the job, not how I spend my time when I'm not there (unless I'm going against the law, of course).
 

nolla

Senor Membrane
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You learn not to write everything you think and definitely not to post pictures of everything you do. Honestly, I don't feel threatened by the new transparency -- it works both ways -- but if you're out on disability for depression, yeah, might be smart not to have your picture taken out partying and PUT IT ON THE INTERNET FOR THE WORLD TO SEE. (Is there a disablity category for bad judgment and TMI?)

Maybe she thought that the people who were visiting did understand that you can be depressed and still make an effort to have fun once in a while. Is a depressed person supposed to be sitting in the bath with the razor twentyfourseven?

It isn't "transparency", transparency would mean that there is some truth you could see. If you admit to having different face at work than on your free time, there you have it. They see it as something black and white, like people are to be confined to the perfect worker image. It is not right for them to decide what I can or cannot do, that is if they are not willing to pay me for that. If they actually give me money, I might consider keeping myself up to their standards on my own time.

This kind of crap makes me never want to work again. Soon they want to have my soul too.

Oh, I can imagine where this is going to. I mean, it would be pretty easy to track me down here too. It wouldn't be a hundred per cent certainty, since I don't think I have my name here, but I do on another site, where I have published some of my art, and yeah, that is not a hundred per cent either, since it could be some other with the same name, and it is a long shot that someone would go through the trouble of finding the necessary connection to this place, but anyways, if someone would like to dig shit about me for some reason, I am sure you could easily quote something from here and take it out of context. Yeah, that would be nice. So, the whole reason for me to be here would be ruined since I wouldn't be able to think and talk freely anymore. Self-censorship, that is the future.
 

TickTock

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I would love a world strike. Ithe power is with the majority not some uptight psychotic corp.
 

TickTock

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Well, start a group in facebook. I would join if I was a member...

I am seriously thinking about it. But a watertight outline would need to be written with short good reasons of the value of doing it and the negative impact that corporations have, so as to get a lot of people to join. Then a date set.
 

nolla

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Yes, we can easily define them right here, perfect them, and then strike where it hurts! It would be best to have a week pause in shopping as well. What we have to do first is to get a Che Guevara flag!
 

TickTock

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Yes, we can easily define them right here, perfect them, and then strike where it hurts! It would be best to have a week pause in shopping as well. What we have to do first is to get a Che Guevara flag!

The flag would have to be new. But I think it would be better not have one at all, the symbol is the people themselves and not a concept, but a uniting movement towards our freedom and rights.
 

nolla

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Flag of no form... I like that, very taoist...

But, really, the problem would be, how to keep them out? In practice it is not possible. If I apply for a job, how can I know that the boss hasn't googled me? It's even worse if our movement takes the problem underground. Everyone would be doing it, but there would be no news of it anymore...
 

TickTock

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Flag of no form... I like that, very taoist...

But, really, the problem would be, how to keep them out? In practice it is not possible. If I apply for a job, how can I know that the boss hasn't googled me? It's even worse if our movement takes the problem underground. Everyone would be doing it, but there would be no news of it anymore...

Yes. It's similar to the page on an application for crimes committed and states that it's because "we believe in equality" - yeah right. Back to the fb thing, it may go underground but it does give them less room to fire people and does give some ground to the employee. Having said all that it's just more tape and beuracracy, the best solution is to remove the problem all together and get rid of corporate power.
 

nolla

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the best solution is to remove the problem all together and get rid of corporate power.

I think the companies are kinda antiquated with their perspective. They think they have the money so they can decide this and that about the people they hire. I see myself as the deciding agent in this business. I am the one to decide if I want to stay in a company, it is me who has the power over myself. I think today people think more in this way, we were raised to see individualism as a cornerstone of the society (weird concept, actually). The companies that see this are the ones that will survive in the long run.

But, then again, what do I know, I am officially unemployed. :yes:

Oh, actually, how about this (imagined) example: A kid goes to school counselor telling he's worried about his friend committing a suicide, there are typical emo pics and poems in the facebook. Can the counselor go see them? Or, let's say there is no kid going to tell anything to the counselor, maybe he just goes there to find the suicide stuff by himself. Should he act? Is it right for him not to act? Does it change the situation if the counselor is a facebook friend of the suicidal kid?
 

BlackCat

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This is why I don't do much except for send private messages on facebook.
 

Night

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Canadian woman loses benefits over Facebook photo - Yahoo! News

This intersecting of real life and Internet worlds such as Facebook and Myspace has got to stop. It is so ironic that we are living in the age of Big Brother, and it turns out it's self-imposed because people post TMI on the Internet. Even if this person was truly having fun at these events, as shown by the pictures, does that overturn a doctor's diagnosis of clinical depression?

No. It's certainly stupid that an insurance agent's judgment carries as much legislative sway (insofar as insurance coverage is concerned) as a medical doctor's diagnosis.

Methinks an appeal is likely on its way; shouldn't be too much of a bother to amend the insurance coverage. Having the medical doctor draft an official letter justifying her behavior should help to repair the situation. If not, there's always legal action that could be explored.

It's time for another round of fair labor law legislation that bars employers from stepping into employee's personal lives on the Internet. It is truly ridiculous, when veterans of Internet forums (such as anyone reading this post) realize that 100% of anything anyone posts on the Internet could be 100% made-up falsehoods anyway, in which case the companies would be basing real-life decisions on malarky.

Where is the public outrage over these continual occurrences? Make no mistake, even if you just flip burgers in the corner fast food joint, your employer is monitoring you 24/7. Soon, we'll all have to wear that McDonald's smile everywhere we go, even while we are sleeping, or risk termination.

There's so much to be outraged about every day now, that it seems like this concept of privacy outsidethe workplace is lost on the general public. Are you fine with getting fired if you go to the beach, post a picture of your trip to your Facebook account, and your employer fires you the next day because they thought your bathing suit was a bit too skimpy/innappropriate and there's absolutely nothing you can do about it because of the current labor laws? :confused:

As far as this goes, I don't sympathize. Depending on your occupation, willfully advertising certain conduct comes with the pain of real-world accountability. If your behavior compromises the integrity of your workplace (I’ve known teachers who have had to curb their showmanship on social networking sites, like Facebook. Comes with the territory.), it’s wise to avoid splashing yourself in places where you can be easily observed by people responsible for your employment.

There’s no real “invasion” scenario like you describe. Let’s not forget that people are deliberately posting pictures of themselves online. If they encounter occupational friction as a result, it’s on them.

(You're also exagerrating your premise - show me where a bikini has caused unemployment?)
 
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