What Will Google Announce Next Week?
Facebook Forced To Let You Vote On Privacy Changes
First Convicted Cyber-Bully Is Jailed
Cyber-bullying and Web-related deaths have become increasingly troubling in Great Britain, particularly since over a one-year period 17 teens haved killed themselves, allegedly because of social networking sites. The suicides even prompted the head of the U.K. Roman Catholic Church to comment that "a key factor in their committing suicide is the trauma of transient relationships," referring to the easily dissolvable friendships based on social networking sites like Facebook.According to the Daily Mail, last Monday, 18-year-old Keeley Houghton became the first Briton to actually be jailed for cyber-bullying after she threatened to kill fellow teenager Emily Moore this past July. Houghton, who had previously been convicted twice of intimidating Moore, posted, "Keeley is going to murder the *****" on Facebook. Authorities charged Houghton with harassment. Houghton pled guilty and was sentenced to three months in a juvenile detention facility.
While some may criticize the ruling and dismiss the actions as typical adolescent behavior (that generations of people have been forced to endure), Houghton's extensive and prolonged bullying, coupled with the actual death threat, goes far beyond swirlies and wedgies. [From: The Daily Mail]
Facebook Crime and Punishment
Blackmail
Sending any personal info or incriminating pictures to someone on Facebook is a huge mistake for many reasons. One of the worst possible outcomes is getting blackmailed for money, sex, or, well, anything these sickos dream up. Really, whether they're using a fake profile or not, it's a horrible idea. Read up on the story of an 18-year-old who blackmailed 31 male classmates after he posed as a girl and asked for nude pictures. That's lesson enough.
Impostors
Sure, it can be harmless to impersonate a celeb online or create a fake profile for a movie character. But seriously, there's a definite line you shouldn't cross when pretending to be someone else and it can lead to dire consequences for you. Maybe it's not as extreme as the Moroccan man who was jailed for 43 days after creating a fake Facebook profile of a prince, but you never know. Just steer clear of it.
Self-Incrimination
Do we really have to explain this? Just look up the shoplifter who posed with her stolen merchandise, the many photos of drunk underage teens, and, most recently, the album featuring a couple who killed and ate an endangered iguana in the Bahamas.
Suicide
Social networking sites has been blamed for a lot of things, fairly and unfairly, but in our opinion, the worst offense has been their indirect involvement in suicides. Obviously, there are a lot of factors responsible in each case, but there does seem to be links between social networking and a rash of suicides, and obviously tehre's the case tragic of Megan Meier, who killed herself after a classmate's mom impersonated a teen boy and harassed her over Myspace.
Murder
We've reported on numerous incidents of people getting in trouble because of their online behavior. Now, people are becoming victims because of what they're doing on the Web too. In England, a man was convicted of murdering his estranged wife after she changed her relationship status to "single." So, be careful of who can see your profile and what you're doing, no matter how harmless it seems.
Nigerian Scammers
Oh, you thought this only happened via poorly worded emails, right? WRONG. Once people got wise to their old ways, these con men are turning to social networking sites for new targets. This time, they're hacking into people's accounts and impersonating them to ask for money, usually with some weird sob story. You can check out a transcript of one of these conversations here.
Cooperation
Even if the law isn't on a case, a victim, his friends, or empathetic strangers might be. Since it's easy to get word out for anything online, people are using blogs, forums, and social networking sites to help track down criminals. In one such case, a vehicle thief was tracked down by a bunch of anonymous car enthusiasts after the victim posted his story on a forum. In the end, they identified the guy through his Facebook profile.
Self-Incrimination
Do we really have to explain this? Just look up the shoplifter who posed with her stolen merchandise, the many photos of drunk underage teens, and, most recently, the album featuring a couple who killed and ate an endangered iguana in the Bahamas.
40 Years Later 'Napalm Girl' Tells Her Story
Disney World Scammers Scored Four Years of Free Vacations
Lost Dr. Seuss Cartoons Show Another Side Of The Author
Stranger's Kiss Keeps 16-Year-Old From Committing Suicide
Rookie Cop Reportedly Berated, Called 'A Rat' For Arresting Off-Duty Officer
Chain Food Showdown: The Best & Worst Buffalo Wings
Walmart Ending Membership in Conservative Group
How I Went Bankrupt at 23
PHOTOS: Charlize Theron's Short And Shoulder-Baring Style
Can a New Guy Save Best Buy?
Woman Claims Kangaroo Stalked Her for 2 Days, Then Attacked
Disturbing Video Allegedly Shows Montreal Torso Suspect Murdering Victim
Pete Cosey Dead: Chicago Guitar Great and Miles Davis Collaborator Dies at 68
Facebook, Week Two: Fortunes Made and Fortunes Lost (Mostly Lost)
Heidi Klum's Sexiest (And Scariest) Outfits
A Journey To The Hottest Place On Earth: Dallol Ethiopia
Student Ate Roommate's Brain And Heart, Cops Say
Kansas Police Search For 12-Year-Old Girl Who Disappeared With Canadian She Met Online
Zhang Ziyi Slams Prostitution Allegations
George Zimmerman's Bond Revoked
Witherspoon Bigamy Case Heats Up
Is Kate Walsh Leaving 'Private Practice' Next Season?
New Discovery Sheds Light On Amelia Earhart Mystery
LOOK: Photos Of Military Moms Breastfeeding In Uniform Cause Controversy
Space Agency Predicts Date Of World-Ending Galactic Smash-Up
Calif. Man Becomes Internet Sensation In China For Random Act Of Kindness
See Kim Without Her Wig On 'Don't Be Tardy For The Wedding'
Maine Police Believe Ayla Reynolds Is Dead
Porn Actor Mailed Murder Victim's Body Parts To Canada's Top Political Parties: Cops
PHOTOS: This Month's Biggest Photoshop Fails
New Video Shows Face-Eating Attack Lasted 18 Minutes
Divers To Plunge To The Depths Of Baltic Sea To Examine Mystery Object
Comments
86
Subscribe to commentsLizFladyAug 25th 2009 3:20PM
Julie, Go over the police's head, don't stop with the police desk jockey. Go to the district attorney's office and the chief of police and take your evidence to them. If they should blow you off, which i doubt they will, then publish you're attempts to have this matter taken care of legally in you're local paper stating that you went to both the police chief and the district attorney's office (give their names in the letters to editor section of the news paper) and they claim they can't do anything I'll bet they scurry and change their minds real fast. It is against the law to threaten anyone's life and don't let a desk jockey tell you otherwise. Good Luck.
JenniferAug 25th 2009 3:47PM
Geeeeesh. I know that many people take cyberspace conversations to heart. I have seen it often in the chat rooms I visit at pogo games. It is pitiful that people don't have anything better to to than place their lives on hold and try to experience life experiences in cyberspace. I've seen romances evolve and dissolve. I see fights and even cyber sex talk occur. Thank goodness that I have better things to do and I feel sorry for the other people. I play pogo games about an hour a day but I know of people who barely get any sleep at all because they are addicted to the cyber lifestyle. I think they need to seek some professional psychiatric help. ASAP.
cupcakesmuffinsAug 25th 2009 6:33PM
u know what carla and mikee? it doesnt matter how horrible your grammar or spelling is when youre making an important point. especially when your point is right, like osida420's is. osida420 has perfectly good grammar and knows how to spell, but its just easier when you have a lot in ur mind. if you cant take it seriously then dont comment on a serious topic. if you all want to know what goes through a teenager's mind in a situation like this, then why don't u just ask one? like me, for example. all of you makes good points, but whats the right answer? none of you can know for sure, not even me. i respect everyones opinions, so please respect mine when i say i dont think it was that big of a deal. i do think she should have received some sort of punishment of course, but i think juvie was a little much. i believe i have the most experience because of my boyfriend of two years who lives in england so its a long-distance relationship. the police got involved but i didnt heed their warning and nothing bad happened. he threatened a guy who was hitting on me but actually he's harmless and literally wouldnt hurt a fly. has the convicted girl done any bullying more than just verbally? that makes a big difference even if words do matter the most. it depends on everything: how she treats her friends, how she thinks of herself, what her friends think of her and how they treat her, etc. but really as someone said earlier, she probably only said those things online because she figured she was safe behind her computer screen. is that really the case? obviously not. but its easy to think that. way too easy.
HarryAug 26th 2009 6:01AM
As someone speaking from the UK, I consider that it is good an example has now been set. No parent would like to think that their child is a bully, but unfortunately the reality tells a different story. If they were aware that their child were victimising another, then they could step in and stop it – a bit of old fashioned parental control! It must be appreciated that computers are integral to a child’s life these days, so parents require the foresight to monitor what they are now doing online, not what they are doing on the street corner! Parental Monitoring Software, which is easily downloaded onto a computer, can be found by a simple search on Google.
ChristopherAug 26th 2009 1:00PM
I find it quite hilarious that a lot of you are missing the main point. Bullying has been around for centuries. You people are just pathetic pussies. To Robert, I am an out spoken person, if I think you're a moron, I will tell you to your face.
rashahm7Sep 7th 2009 9:40AM
First of all, SOME of you need to learn proper spelling and grammar, if you are going to post comments. Secondly, bullying is WRONG, hands down! Even adults are sometimes bullied and it represents a person's low self-esteem and a misguided attempt to make themselves look good at others expense. Our children are our most valuable resource and turning a dear ear and a blind eye to this global problem does nothing but harm them socially, emotionally, mentally and psychologically. It is apparent that some of the people who post comments on this site are immature, insensitive and galactically stupid. It is a good thing that Britain has taken the lead and actually DID something about it instead of just talking about it. Good Job, Britain. Now, if the United States would grow some testicles and do the same.....
Rashid Karim Ahmad