GeekSugar

Do You Ever Read Websites' Terms of Use?

GeekSugar — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 15:45:54 -0800

Lori Drew, the woman who made a fake MySpace profile to torment teenager Megan Meier, which led to the latter's suicide, is currently on trial for fraud. This was the only way to prosecute Drew for her involvement in Meier's suicide - accusing her of fraudulently creating a MySpace account.

However, it already looks like the case could be thrown out, because she has testified that she never read MySpace's terms of use, nor did she agree to them.

I personally cannot remember the last time I actually read a website's terms of use; I agree to them, sure, but it's rare that I actually read the fine print. Am I setting myself up for disaster? Maybe - it could depend on the outcome of this case. Tell me: Do you actually read the terms of use for every website that presents it to you?

Source

Biggest Headlines of 2008: Lori Drew Indicted in MySpace Suicide Case

GeekSugar — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 10:00:21 -0800

The Megan Meier MySpace case of 2008 was heartbreaking for the girl who was lost, and was also unique in that it challenged fairly new Internet conventions. When the 13-year-old Meier killed herself after being tormented by a group of people - chief among them, her friend's mother Lori Drew - enforcers were unsure that they'd be able to charge her with anything.

In May, Drew was indicted for her role, and finally, after claiming she never read MySpace's Terms of Use and could not be held accountable for them, last month she was found guilty of three misdemeanor counts - minor counts compared to the greater felony charge.

Source

Social Networking Sites Make Teenage Girls Anxious and Depressed

GeekSugar — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 12:00:20 -0800

I can't say I spend a ton of time on social networking sites (I know, go figure, right?), but I can only imagine how many hours teenagers spend on their Facebook and MySpace pages. Well researchers from Stony Brook University have come to the conclusion that teenage girls who like chatting with their friends about their problems (through IM, email, SMS, and social networking sites), are more prone to anxiety and depression.

After examining 83 13-year-old girls, the researchers noticed that the girls became more depressed when they constantly rehashed negative emotional experiences over and over. And what about the torment and teasing that can happen online as well? Remember the story about Megan Meier, who killed herself after being tormented by a group of people? Not only do the girls relive their emotional turmoil by sharing their stories with multiple friends online, but they open the door to bullying and more.

Source

British Kids Think It's Funny to Impersonate Pedophiles Online

GeekSugar — Thu, 01 May 2008 03:00:00 -0700

Oh, the evolving humor of today's youth: Youngsters have apparently taken to freaking out their friends and classmates by pretending to be online predators! Nine cases in Cornwall were investigated where police suspected that pedophiles on social networking sites like Bebo and MSN were actually fellow classmates of kids who weren't getting along - all around age 10.

This is really par for the course in a time when we're seeing and questioning online bullying - though these cases weren't taken as far as the Megan Meier case or the Kristin Helms case, can we really be surprised that these young kids see new possibilities to tease and torture each other with the Internet?

Source

Should Websites Be Liable For Discrimination?

GeekSugar — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 03:30:32 -0700

A federal appeals court recently ruled that Craigslist would not be held liable for discriminatory ads posted on its site. The lawsuit was brought forth over two years ago, because of housing ads that discriminated against minorities and religion. Though Craigslist was cleared last week as not being responsible, this is another case we've seen lately where a website that has hosted something incendiary or illegal, and we've been forced to question who's to blame. MySpace, in particular, has been under fire - we asked whether it was their fault at all in Megan Meier's case, or Kristin Helms' case.

Websites themselves can either rely on user-policing (like Craigslist's flagging policy) or hope that their terms of use are not violated, but I think it's only a matter of time that these sites are asked to crack down and be more involved. Newspapers running classifieds, for instance, take pains to avoid publishing discriminatory ads, so shouldn't Craigslist be held to similar standards? These sites are no longer small companies, so lack of resources is not a viable excuse anymore. What do you think?

Family Sues MySpace For Their Role in Teen's Suicide

GeekSugar — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 14:06:49 -0800

When 15-year-old Kristin Helms committed suicide in 2006, she blamed Kiley Bowers, the 27-year-old man who traveled across state lines to meet her. Her parents blame MySpace - in fact, they're suing the Internet site for their role in the tragedy.

Though Helms and Bowers didn't meet on MySpace, they did use it to communicate, and Helms's parents called for the policing of sites for sexual predators last Summer. Now, they're taking MySpace on in court.

To learn more about this case as well as another MySpace tragedy, read more.

While Kiley Bowers is serving a nine-year federal prison term in Texas for traveling across state lines to have sex with a minor and transporting child pornography, it's clear that Helms's family needs more - that is, closure in the form of making the Internet safe for minors. I can't help but be reminded of the awful story of Megan Meier, who was taunted by a peer's parent with a fake MySpace profile.

How much responsibility do you think a social networking site should take, both in the event of a tragedy where it's a major player and on a level of prevention?

Source

Have You Ever Created a Fake MySpace Profile?

GeekSugar — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 13:25:13 -0800

In the aftermath of the suicide of Megan Meier, the 13-year-old Missouri girl who was taunted by a fake MySpace profile named "Josh Evans," there was technically no way to charge her tormentor - the mother of a schoolmate - with any wrongdoing. However, a US attorney in Los Angeles (the home of MySpace) has begun issuing subpoenas in the case in the hopes of charging Lori Drew, the creator of the fake profile, with fraud.

While this case is tragic and highly charged, this precedent could be pretty intense because I know many people have created fake MySpace accounts as harmless jokes, myself included. It makes me wonder if this is the right way to punish Lori Drew.

I'm curious. . . . Have you ever created a fake MySpace or Facebook profile?

Source