Just as the title states:


Should personal photos on the Internet be used to help prosecute people?
Why or why not?
Do you believe that laws should be set in place to protect matters such as this from happening?


Personal photos from Facebook, myspace, photobucket, flickr and anyother place that people post photos.




I was reading an article on AOL about how this 20 year-old guy was being prosecuted in a drunk driving case where he almost killed a girl. Then two-weeks later he went to a party dressed up in a black and white stripped shirt and a orange jumpsuit that had "Jail bird" on it.

The Prosecuter found the pictures on someones Facebook and used them against the guy in court.

:thinking

I think that was a total douchebag move on the kid's part... But I go back and forth on this issue. When I was doing pre-med stuff, they warned me to take off any incriminating photos, photos of me with alcohol dated before I was legal, racy photos, etc because it would jepordize my chances of getting into a good school.... I don't know. I am not sure people should be held accountable for their personal choices, but at the same time....

:shrug

I think that there need to be laws in place that set regulations as to how these photos are obtained.

If someone posts them online with the expectation of privacy then the courts should have to issue a search warrant for them.

If a crime was committed then obviously the guilty party should have their own discretions used against them, as long as their own privacy isn't violated by the prosecutors.

I think that there need to be laws in place that set regulations as to how these photos are obtained.

If someone posts them online with the expectation of privacy then the courts should have to issue a search warrant for them.

If a crime was committed then obviously the guilty party should have their own discretions used against them, as long as their own privacy isn't violated by the prosecutors.

ITA. If someone's myspace page is private, for instance, it should be a warrant issue then.

ITA. If someone's myspace page is private, for instance, it should be a warrant issue then.

:yes I agree. If your profile is not private, then like it or not it is public domain. But I think that if your profile is private, they should definitely need a warrant.

I think if someone posts pictures using a privacy setting, then they shouldn't be able to be used in court. But posting pictures without any sort of privacy setting is like asking to be nailed.

But I guess if you really don't want anything to be used against you...just don't post them online at all.

Stuff like THAT, no those pictures are irrelevant to the case. Tasteless yes, but nothing more.

But there are some photos that should be used. Photos of someone inappropriately touching children or some other form of clear evidence of wrong doing.

If it's posted publicly, yes. You (the offender) was stupid enough to post a picture that could get you in trouble. If the pics have nothing to do with whatever they were charged with, what's the relevance? if the page is private, than yes, I agree about the warrant.

This one is simple for me. If information is available that can clear or incriminate, I don't care how it is acquired. Think about it. If someone hurt your child or you and put a picture on their private webpage that showed them doing it, or being happy about it, should that be protected from being used to prosecute them. Makes me sick the way criminals are protected these days.

Stuff like THAT, no those pictures are irrelevant to the case. Tasteless yes, but nothing more.

But there are some photos that should be used. Photos of someone inappropriately touching children or some other form of clear evidence of wrong doing.

I agree!

I agree with what everyone has posted. If there is a reasonable expectation of privacy, then yes, a warrant should be issued to protect the subject from unreasonable search & seizure (4th amendment??). However, I'm not sure how much of a "reasonable" expectation of privacy there is on the internet, although I agree that if you have your myspace page (for example) set to private, that would seem "reasonable." I am sure this is an evolving area of the law that will be debated a lot in the future.

i agree as well with everyone, but does it say he got it off this guys page???? what it is on one of his friends do the same rules apply?????? what if this kid didnt know they were even posted?????

or one better myspace now has that thing were you can "tag" pics and it shows up on peoples profiles. what if his page is private but he tagged a friend in the pic and that persons is public????

if it were me or my kid (now that im actually looking from the person who got hurts piont of view) i wouldnt care how they got the pics as long as justice is served

I think if you are stupid enough to post pictures of illegal activities on a profile that isn't private, then you deserve whatever comes of that.

I agree that if the profile is set on private, then a warrent should have to be used.


I knew a girl who had pics of her drinking and smoking from a bong (and OBVIOUSLY not just tobacco... ) her friends were in the pics as well.
I left a comment warning her and her friends flipped out on me saying I couldn't prove it was pot and that it is none of my business and I was just being paranoid to bother them.
Last year, a TON of people got kicked off sports teams because of facebook and myspace.

All I could think was... I told you so dumbasses.

i agree as well with everyone, but does it say he got it off this guys page???? what it is on one of his friends do the same rules apply?????? what if this kid didnt know they were even posted?????

or one better myspace now has that thing were you can "tag" pics and it shows up on peoples profiles. what if his page is private but he tagged a friend in the pic and that persons is public????

if it were me or my kid (now that im actually looking from the person who got hurts piont of view) i wouldnt care how they got the pics as long as justice is served

If anyone is stupid enough to not ask their FRIENDS to keep pics of them doing illegal activities off ANY profile where it can be seen, then they deserve to be smacked by the law.
If anyone has FRIENDS stupid enough to post pictures of they and their friends doing illegal activities where anyone could possibly see them (including through tagged photos on an unprivate page) then they all deserve to be smacked by the law.

Basically, don't take pictures of yourself doing illegal activities. As if doing the illegal things isn't usually stupid enough, make EVIDENCE of it... that guarantees you won't get caught :rolleyes

If anyone is stupid enough to not ask their FRIENDS to keep pics of them doing illegal activities off ANY profile where it can be seen, then they deserve to be smacked by the law.
If anyone has FRIENDS stupid enough to post pictures of they and their friends doing illegal activities where anyone could possibly see them (including through tagged photos on an unprivate page) then they all deserve to be smacked by the law.

Basically, don't take pictures of yourself doing illegal activities. As if doing the illegal things isn't usually stupid enough, make EVIDENCE of it... that guarantees you won't get caught :rolleyes

:lol i love that last part:lol:lol:lol

im only 21 and i could introduce you to TONS of people who are that stupid.... sadly sometimes i feel bad for my generation and i think drugs are a big problem that leads to that stupidity.

kudos to you again for the last sentance

I would be curious to see what the argument would be by a defense lawyer if one person had their page set to private but a friend had the same picture or similar picture showing illegal activity posted in an open forum and it was used as evidence. I think you could still argue reasonable expectation, although I agree with the last few posts that if you're stupid enough to a) take pictures of yourself doing something illegal and then b) post it on the internet, you deserve to get (as one person put it) smacked by the law!

I don't know, if you post it on the internet, be prepared for the worst outcome. Nothing is private on the internet, unfortunately.

No one should expect privacy on the internet, unless when it comes in the form of purchasing items... meaning their credit card information, payment information due to identity fraud. Everything else is at the risk of the individual.

ITA. If someone's myspace page is private, for instance, it should be a warrant issue then.

You took the words right out of my mouth. I have pics that I wouldn't want just anyone to see on my facebook, but it's as private as it gets and I'm selective about who I have on there. In cases like that, I don't think it's right because the person has done everything in their power to make sure not just any random person is looking at their pics.

If you're stupid enough to post a photo of yourself on the internet doing something illegal than you deserve to be prosecuted for it.
Even if your page is marked "private" on e of your friends can repost the picture to a public page.
Once you post a photo where even one person can see it, then it becomes public.
If you have any expectation of privacy for anything you do online, you're fooling your self.
By the time the photo or email has been posted, its already been copied on many computer servers.
Its like the mail...
once you mail a letter to a person, you lose all rights to it. it becomes the property of the recipient to do with what he or she wants, including sharing it. The internet is no different.

If you don't want it used against you then don't put it on the internet.
Don't take pictures of incriminating anything.
Don't take videos, either.

I believe there should be no privacy in crime. Criminal activity should be prosecuted, regardless of the source of evidence, as long as it wasn't obtained unlawfully or through further abuse. I HATE hearing of cases where evidence is thrown out because of little loopholes in how it was obtained and a violent criminal goes off free of any punishment. It makes me sad.

If you're stupid enough to post a photo of yourself on the internet doing something illegal than you deserve to be prosecuted for it.
Even if your page is marked "private" on e of your friends can repost the picture to a public page.
Once you post a photo where even one person can see it, then it becomes public.
If you have any expectation of privacy for anything you do online, you're fooling your self.
By the time the photo or email has been posted, its already been copied on many computer servers.
Its like the mail...
once you mail a letter to a person, you lose all rights to it. it becomes the property of the recipient to do with what he or she wants, including sharing it. The internet is no different.

:yes - especially to the bolded. Where it gets a little trickier is when other people post pictures of you - sometimes without the person IN the pic being aware they are posted or even that they picture was taken. I guess the best advice would be not to do anything you shouldn't where anyone else can see it:tsktsk:giggle

However, I also agree that the photos should be relevant to the case.

Stuff like THAT, no those pictures are irrelevant to the case. Tasteless yes, but nothing more.

But there are some photos that should be used. Photos of someone inappropriately touching children or some other form of clear evidence of wrong doing.

This. This answer is good.