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<title>Techdirt. Stories filed under &quot;friending&quot;</title>
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<image><title>Techdirt. Stories filed under &quot;friending&quot;</title><url>http://www.techdirt.com/images/td-88x31.gif</url><link>http://www.techdirt.com/</link></image>
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<pubDate>Thu, 15 Sep 2011 22:30:10 PDT</pubDate>
<title>Missouri Senate Backs Down, Says Its Okay For Teachers To Friend Students On Facebook</title>
<dc:creator>Mike Masnick</dc:creator>
<link>http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110915/17114015973/missouri-senate-backs-down-says-its-okay-teachers-to-friend-students-facebook.shtml</link>
<guid>http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110915/17114015973/missouri-senate-backs-down-says-its-okay-teachers-to-friend-students-facebook.shtml</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Well, it took some effort, but it appears that state politicians in Missouri may have finally gotten the message.  After a widespread outcry and a lawsuit concerning a law that <a href="http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110802/04133115359/new-missouri-law-may-make-it-illegal-to-friend-your-former-teachers-facebook.shtml">made it illegal</a> for teachers to "friend" current and former students on social networking sites, as well as a lawsuit and an <a href="http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110827/15094115712/court-finds-law-blocking-teachers-friending-students-staggering-blocks-implementation.shtml">injunction</a> by a court which found the law to be a "staggering" violation of the First Amendment, Missouri's Senate has <a href="http://www.zdnet.com/blog/facebook/missouri-senate-lets-teachers-be-facebook-friends-with-students/3687" target="_blank">amended the law in question to let teachers and students be virtual friends</a> once again.  The bill still needs to be approved by the House, but it cleans up the controversial part of the bill.  Schools would still be required to have "a policy" on student-teacher communication, but won't have to completely limit such activities.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110915/17114015973/missouri-senate-backs-down-says-its-okay-teachers-to-friend-students-facebook.shtml">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110915/17114015973/missouri-senate-backs-down-says-its-okay-teachers-to-friend-students-facebook.shtml#comments">Comments</a> | <a href="http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110915/17114015973/missouri-senate-backs-down-says-its-okay-teachers-to-friend-students-facebook.shtml?op=sharethis">Email This Story</a><br />
 ]]></description>
<slash:department>after-the-court-knocked-them-down</slash:department>
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<pubDate>Mon, 29 Aug 2011 10:12:18 PDT</pubDate>
<title>Court Finds Law Blocking Teachers From Friending Students 'Staggering'; Blocks Implementation</title>
<dc:creator>Mike Masnick</dc:creator>
<link>http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110827/15094115712/court-finds-law-blocking-teachers-friending-students-staggering-blocks-implementation.shtml</link>
<guid>http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110827/15094115712/court-finds-law-blocking-teachers-friending-students-staggering-blocks-implementation.shtml</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ There was quite an uproar after Missouri passed a law to <a href="http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110802/04133115359/new-missouri-law-may-make-it-illegal-to-friend-your-former-teachers-facebook.shtml">ban teachers</a> from communicating with current or former students on social networking platforms like Facebook.  It didn't take long before teachers <a href="http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110822/04420615614/teachers-missouri-sue-right-to-friend-their-students-facebook.shtml">sued</a>, and it was even faster for the court to issue an injunction blocking the implementation of the law, noting that it violated the First Amendment (thanks to <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/ericgoldman/statuses/107569594289491968" target="_blank">Eric Goldman</a> for the pointer).  The judge made quick work of it.  Here's the relevant portion (and the full ruling is embedded below):
<blockquote><i>
Section &sect;163.069.4 RSMo implicates the rights of Plaintiffs protected by the First Amendment of the United States Constitution and the Missouri Constitution in that it prohibits all teachers from using any non-work-related social networking sites which allow exclusive access with current and former students.  Even if a complete ban on certain forms of communication between certain individuals could be construed as content neutral and only a reasonable restriction on "time, place and manner," the breadth of the prohibition is staggering.  The Court finds at based upon the evidence adduced at the preliminary injunction hearing, social networking is extensively used by educators.  It is often the primary, if not sole manner, of communications between the Plaintiffs and their students.  Examination of the statute indicates that it would prohibit all teachers from using any non-work-related social networking sites which allow exclusive access with current and former students.  It clearly prohibits communication between family members and their teacher parents using these types of sites.  The Court finds that the statute would have a chilling effect on speech.
<br /><br />
Given the fundamental nature of the right implicated, a "chilling effect" constitutes an immediate and irreperable harm sufficient to support a preliminary injunction.
</i></blockquote>
Nice to see some courts willing to recognize that a First Amendment violation is irreparable harm.  Too bad <a href="http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110805/10212515405/judge-says-making-it-harder-to-exercise-free-speech-does-not-create-substantial-hardship.shtml">not all</a> courts agree.
<br /><br />
This isn't the end for the law.  It's just an injunction barring it from being implemented until a full trial can be heard on the merits, but it sure sounds as if the court is pretty skeptical about the legality of the law as a whole.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110827/15094115712/court-finds-law-blocking-teachers-friending-students-staggering-blocks-implementation.shtml">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110827/15094115712/court-finds-law-blocking-teachers-friending-students-staggering-blocks-implementation.shtml#comments">Comments</a> | <a href="http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110827/15094115712/court-finds-law-blocking-teachers-friending-students-staggering-blocks-implementation.shtml?op=sharethis">Email This Story</a><br />
 ]]></description>
<slash:department>oh-look,-there's-a-first-amendment-after-all</slash:department>
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<pubDate>Wed, 3 Aug 2011 08:30:35 PDT</pubDate>
<title>New Missouri Law May Make It Illegal To Friend Your Former Teachers On Facebook</title>
<dc:creator>Mike Masnick</dc:creator>
<link>http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110802/04133115359/new-missouri-law-may-make-it-illegal-to-friend-your-former-teachers-facebook.shtml</link>
<guid>http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110802/04133115359/new-missouri-law-may-make-it-illegal-to-friend-your-former-teachers-facebook.shtml</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ <a href="http://www.techdirt.com/profile.php?u=gabrieltane">Gabriel Tane</a> points us to another odd state law coming out of Missouri, where it appears that schoolteachers could run afoul of the law if they <A href="http://www.examiner.com/technology-in-national/facebook-friendships-between-students-teachers-banned-by-missouri-law" target="_blank">friend any former student on Facebook</a>.  Part of the problem here is that the law in question is worded incredibly vaguely.  But <a href="http://www.senate.mo.gov/11info/BTS_Web/Bill.aspx?SessionType=R&BillID=4066479">the text</a> does say:
<blockquote><i>
Teachers cannot establish, maintain, or use a work-related website unless it is available to school administrators and the child's legal custodian, physical custodian, or legal guardian. Teachers also cannot have a nonwork-related website that allows exclusive access with a current or former student.
</i></blockquote>
This is the part that would seem to cover friending any current or former student on Facebook.  While plenty of teachers I know refuse to friend students on Facebook just out of principle (and general caution), to make it <i>illegal</i> seems extreme.  That's doubly true when it includes "former" students.  At some point, former students grow up and become fully functioning adults (one hopes).  At that point, does it still make sense to make it illegal for the student and teacher to have contact? <b>Update</b>: As pointed out in the comments, the law does define "former student" to mean someone under the age of 18, meaning that former students over the age of 18 can be friended safely...
<br><br>
The bill is clearly targeted at stopping sexual relationships between teachers and students, which is a perfectly admirable goal.  But, like so many laws, it appears this one was written very poorly, and creates massive unintended consequences.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110802/04133115359/new-missouri-law-may-make-it-illegal-to-friend-your-former-teachers-facebook.shtml">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110802/04133115359/new-missouri-law-may-make-it-illegal-to-friend-your-former-teachers-facebook.shtml#comments">Comments</a> | <a href="http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110802/04133115359/new-missouri-law-may-make-it-illegal-to-friend-your-former-teachers-facebook.shtml?op=sharethis">Email This Story</a><br />
 ]]></description>
<slash:department>for-the-children!</slash:department>
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<pubDate>Fri, 15 Oct 2010 12:03:29 PDT</pubDate>
<title>US Gov't Relying On 'Narcissistic Tendencies' To Get People To Accept Facebook Friend Requests To Spy On You</title>
<dc:creator>Mike Masnick</dc:creator>
<link>http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20101014/10355611430/us-gov-t-relying-on-narcissistic-tendencies-to-get-people-to-accept-facebook-friend-requests-to-spy-on-you.shtml</link>
<guid>http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20101014/10355611430/us-gov-t-relying-on-narcissistic-tendencies-to-get-people-to-accept-facebook-friend-requests-to-spy-on-you.shtml</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ Were you wondering what the FBI was doing <a href="http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20101013/14344011415/how-is-it-that-a-random-comment-on-reddit-leads-to-your-friend-getting-tracked-by-the-fbi.shtml">hanging out on Reddit</a>, and using random out-of-context comments to put tracking devices on vehicles?  Well, not surprisingly, the government's social networking voyeurism goes much further.  <a href="http://www.techdirt.com/profile.php?u=gindil">Jay</a> points us to the news, revealed via an EFF Freedom of Information Act request, that parts of the government are using social networks to try to <a href="http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2010/10/applying-citizenship-u-s-citizenship-and" target="_blank">"friend" people in order to keep track of them</a>.  They even point out that the general desire of individuals to collect more friends means that many won't wonder why a government official they don't know wants to be their friend:
<blockquote><i>
Narcissistic tendencies in many people fuels a need to have a large group of "friends" link to their pages and many of these people accept cyber-friends that they don't even know. This provides an excellent vantage point for FDNS to observe the daily life of beneficiaries and petitioners who are suspected of fraudulent activities.
</i></blockquote>
Now, as the EFF notes, there's nothing wrong with law enforcement making use of social networking tools to try to deal with crime or terrorism.  But they do wonder if the rules should be clearer, noting that:
<blockquote><i>
the memo makes no mention of what level of suspicion, if any, an agent must find before conducting such surveillance, leaving every applicant as a potential target. Nor does the memo address whether or not DHS agents must reveal their government affiliation or even their real name during the friend request, leaving open the possibility that agents could actively deceive online users to infiltrate their social networks and monitor the activities of not only that user, but also the user's friends, family, and other associates.
</i></blockquote>
So, no matter what your narcissistic tendencies might be, and your desire to collect as many friends as possible, perhaps think twice before friending random people you don't know.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20101014/10355611430/us-gov-t-relying-on-narcissistic-tendencies-to-get-people-to-accept-facebook-friend-requests-to-spy-on-you.shtml">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20101014/10355611430/us-gov-t-relying-on-narcissistic-tendencies-to-get-people-to-accept-facebook-friend-requests-to-spy-on-you.shtml#comments">Comments</a> | <a href="http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20101014/10355611430/us-gov-t-relying-on-narcissistic-tendencies-to-get-people-to-accept-facebook-friend-requests-to-spy-on-you.shtml?op=sharethis">Email This Story</a><br />
 ]]></description>
<slash:department>the-gov't-wants-to-be-your-friend</slash:department>
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<pubDate>Tue, 15 Dec 2009 06:07:25 PST</pubDate>
<title>Jurors Cause Trouble By Friending Each Other On Facebook, Using Wikipedia For Research</title>
<dc:creator>Mike Masnick</dc:creator>
<link>http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20091214/0922277341.shtml</link>
<guid>http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20091214/0922277341.shtml</guid>
<description><![CDATA[ We've discussed numerous court cases where modern technology has caused significant procedural problems from "the old ways" of doing things.  <a href="http://twitter.com/citmedialaw/statuses/6666270187" target="_blank">CitMediaLaw</a> points us to a story that <a href="http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/jurors_wikipedia_research_friending_at_issue_in_two_maryland_cases/?utm_source=feedburner&#038;utm_medium=feed&#038;utm_campaign=ABA Journal Daily News" target="_blank">includes two more cases</a>, both in Maryland.  In one, lawyers are seeking a new trial <a href="http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/juror_facebook_contact_324_food_prize_could_cause_mistrial_in_md._mayors_ca/" target="_blank">because some of the jurors became Facebook "friends"</a> during the trial.  This follows on the news that Florida is <a href="http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20091210/2117597304.shtml">forbidding</a> judges from friending lawyers on social networking sites, but is it reasonable to prevent jurors from friending each other?  For many Facebook users, "friending" people you meet is quite natural and something you do almost immediately upon meeting someone new.  So it should be no surprise that some jurors would choose to quickly friend each other.  It's hard to see how that would make the results of the jury verdict suspect, however.
<br /><br />
The second case involved jurors <a href="http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/anne-arundel/bal-md.ar.tmi13dec13,0,2858534.story" target="_blank">using Wikipedia to look up some terms</a>.  This is hardly a new concept.  Some judges these days are specifically <a href="http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20090915/0412536196.shtml">warning jurors</a> not to use the internet to look up anything related to a case, but for a generation of folks who consider internet research to be an adjunct part of the thinking process, it's not hard to recognize why many would ignore this, and not think they're doing anything wrong (and they might have a good argument).  The real question is whether or not there are reasonable ways to change the way the jury system works to allow for what many people consider perfectly natural: doing additional research on their own.  For those who are comfortable with the old system, this may seem like a horrific idea (and yes, we all understand the reasons <i>why</i> the current system wants to limit things to just what's said in the courtroom).  However, at some point the system may need to recognize that an artificial constraint on learning about the details of the case may <i>not</i> actually be the best system.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20091214/0922277341.shtml">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20091214/0922277341.shtml#comments">Comments</a> | <a href="http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20091214/0922277341.shtml?op=sharethis">Email This Story</a><br />
 ]]></description>
<slash:department>no-friending-allowed</slash:department>
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