I suppose one could say I'm hiding behind a veil. I don't tweet or face.
"Nobody needs ‘friends’ like these; Facebook users’ contacts make good phishing for scammers" by Erin Ailworth, Globe Staff / May 29, 2011
As more people turn to Facebook and Twitter for much of their online communicating, Internet scammers and spammers are trying to cash in by hijacking the names and images of users’ “friends’’ and “followers.’’ They use the stolen identities to place fake come-ons and shady pitches alongside all the funny pictures and snide remarks posted by people legitimately granted access to online accounts.
And you thought you were just relaxing on the Web.
The goal is to trick users into buying products, volunteering credit card numbers and other personal information, or unknowingly installing malicious software that can damage computers. Too often, the tactics work, according to computer security specialists, in part because of our faith in people we know....
I used to feel that way about my newspaper; however, no they make me see the red.
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So let's take a look at a face:
"Facebook comments bring firing and a fight" by Maria Cramer, Globe Staff / May 27, 2011
Bourne firefighter Richard Doherty said he repeatedly complained about poor workplace conditions at the department only to see town officials ignore his gripes. So he flipped on a computer, logged into his Facebook page, and vented to his 40 friends.
That's what you are getting here, dear followers and readers.
Too many things for me to vent on for me to be a "terrorist."
My one wish is that maybe I made you laugh once in a while.
Soon after, town officials fired him in a letter that accused him of making inflammatory statements not only against his superiors and colleagues but also against gay people.
Look at the Nazi Party of AmeriKa whip out the cudgel you dare not question.
Now, Doherty, a 16-year veteran who said his comments were taken out of context, is alleging that officials violated his First Amendment rights. Yesterday, his lawyers filed a complaint in US District Court, seeking his job back, back pay, and other damages.
“They basically threw a whole bunch of nonsense to the wall and wanted to see what stuck,’’ said Doherty, who served as vice president of his local firefighters’ union until last September. “I embarrassed them as a union representative bringing up honest safety issues, and they didn’t want to correct them.’’
That's interesting; government acting like agenda-pushing media.
Town Administrator Thomas Guerino said the dismissal was valid. “His termination was very thoughtfully considered,’’ he said yesterday.
Yeah, I'll bet it was after they read what was said.
The complaint underscores changing dynamics in the workplace brought on by the popularity of social-networking websites....
Employers are right to be concerned about how an employee’s on-line statements could hurt a company or organization’s image, said Seth Borden, a New York labor lawyer.
“Printed words always have more of an impact [than spoken words]. They have duration to them,’’ he said.
Thank you, dear readers. There is no impact without your eyes.
Public employees have more protection under the Constitution to speak out, but they are also limited by what they can say if employers can show that their comments severely compromised how they do their jobs, said Sarah Wunsch staff attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts.
I must have heard wrong because I was told this was the land of free speech.
Doherty, 47, said he had complained about mandatory overtime shifts and problems with the department’s ventilation system, which union officials said was causing medical problems for employees.
He said he had set his Facebook setting so that only his friends, most of them other firefighters outside Bourne, would be able to read his postings and perhaps give him advice.
“It was just a mechanism for venting,’’ he said. “We would compare notes.’’
And hopefully for getting some sort of change by adding to the cacophony of conversation.
But in February, a hearing officer found that Doherty had violated town rules that prohibit obscene language and rude conduct against any town employee.
I guess I'd be in trouble.
In a written decision announcing Doherty’s dismissal, Guerino said that the firefighter’s use of expletives against other employees, including a police official and the deputy fire chief, could have compromised public safety....
Are you f***ing kidding?
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