Israeli military ‘unfriends’ soldier after Facebook leak: BBC

March 18, 2010

In what should serve as a valuable reminder of the need to educate employees about what constitutes acceptable postings on social networking websites, BBC is reporting that “the Israeli military cancelled a planned raid on a Palestinian village after one of its soldiers posted details of the operation on Facebook. The unnamed soldier revealed the time and place of the raid and the name of his unit on the social networking site.”

I’ve previously commented on social networking websites and employer-employee relationships.  This BBC report is just one more example of a situation which may have been prevented with better employee training and a clear social networking policy.  Common sense should, and typically does, guide employees in determining what to post online. Yet, if an Israeli soldier can’t think twice before posting the details of a planned operation it’s easy to see how some employees of Canadian businesses – perhaps yours - unintentionally post valuable corporate information online.


Social networking websites and employer-employee relationships

June 2, 2009

As I’ve previously discussedSocial networking websites such as MySpace and Facebook are provoking new questions about the appropriate boundaries in employee-employer relationships. This is evident in a United States Federal Court case coming to a head in New Jersey. The case pertains to the conduct of a manager who logged into a private social networking website and observed employees slandering company supervisors and customers. Those same employees were later dismissed. The case exemplifies a rapidly expanding “grey area” between an employee’s work life and personal social life. It begs the question, at what point does a “private” comment to friend made outside of the office constitute defamation, and at what point are such comments simply banter between individuals?  Of course, the answer is, it all depends on the facts. 

For an interesting discussion on the matter, check out Myrth on a Blog, a personal journal of law, technology and social media.


Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 73 other followers