Man jailed for using facebook
By Luke McKinney
Dillon Osborn, a resident of the United Kingdom, was sent to jail for a week for a facebook ‘friend request’ sent to his ex-wife, whom he was legally forbidden from trying to contact. We’ve all heard that social networking sites can steal hours of your life, but this has to be the most extreme case on record.
On the one hand this sounds like complete overkill - after all, if somebody you don’t like contacts you then just hit "ignore" and move on with checking your "top wall/pirates/friends" invitations. Having them imprisoned seems like an overreaction. Of course, when you realize a previous restraining order was in place because of excessive phone calls and text messages (as reported by The Register) you realize how this might have happened.
On the other, the defendants defense that "he didn’t mean to" isn’t as dubious as it first sounds. The site is known for relentless spamming of e-mail contacts of anyone foolish or naive enough to enter their contact list e-mail details while signing in, and it’s entirely possible his wife was emailed by accident. The real problem is that guilt or innocence was not necessarily proved in this case. It seems this man was punished because his ex-wife was contacted, whether or not he meant to do it.
The mere mention of computers sets off a dummy switch in many heads. If somebody claims that "the computer did it", humanity is divided into those who believe that the computer does nothing it isn’t told to, and those who believe them malevolent devils capable of anything. Mix in a third party hungry for e-mail addresses and further promotion and anything could happen.
The fact remains that technology moves faster than the legal system, in the same way that a motorcycle occasionally moves faster than a mountain. As long as those on the judicial bench are permanently forty years behind the technical curve this sort of case will keep happening,
Related:
Stumble It!
Entry was posted
on Sunday, October 7th, 2007 at 2:52 am
under 
Print This Post
Read more entries by Luke McKinney.
October 8th, 2007
One could argue that if a restraining order is in effect against contacting a certain person, that person shouldn’t be in your contact list in the first place. The judge may have argued that leaving her in his contacts was an indication of his intent to violate the restraining order.
–
Ulrich
January 8th, 2008
Ulrich,
Facebook goes scouring through one’s Hotmail account if details are provided. You know those people you forgot ever contacting? The ones who you’ve deleted all the mail to and that’s it? The ones which make up a starter friends list when you first sign up?
That man’s ex-wife was probably one of those.