Facebook landed him in jail
July 19, 2008 – 1:17 pm by Griffin HammondCNN reports the story of a college student, whose Facebook profile was used as evidence against him in court:
Two weeks after Joshua Lipton was charged in a drunken driving crash that seriously injured a woman, the 20-year-old college junior attended a Halloween party dressed as a prisoner. Pictures from the party showed him in a black-and-white striped shirt and an orange jumpsuit labeled “Jail Bird.”
Lipton appeared to mock his potential jail sentence, and the prosecutor successfully painted him as unremorseful. He’s been sentenced to two years in prison. The article points out other instances where drinking pictures on MySpace have led to harsher sentences for alcohol-related crimes.
In March, Facebook rolled out a new line of privacy options, which you should take advantage of. Whenever you’re searching for a new job, or if you get in trouble with the law, re-evaluate your social media presence, and make sure you keep yourself protected.
