The Teckki Says

I believe that in general, we all know the difference between yelling "fire" around one or two people in an open field, and yelling "fire" in a crowded theater. What I am not so convinced is that whether we know if we are in an open field or a crowded theater. A recent post on my Facebook account bears this out.

A friend of mine, who has a gazillion friends on a social networking site which I am one of, expressed an exasperation many of us city dwellers have - an inconsiderate neighbor who allows his pooch to potty on or near my friends' property. In Chicago, where we both reside, this is not only inconsiderate, it is illegal. However, my friend creates a post that I will be kind enough to describe as a hypothetical question: what if the pooch expires from a premature, poisoned death?

By the time I got to the post, there were a number of answers, many expressing the same frustration, if not outright goading to follow through. I'm sure my friend meant no harm, and in some way is blowing off steam. However, on social media sites where you have gazillion friends, you are not conversing with two people in an open field, you are speaking to a crowded theater.

Now, if the pooch ends up popped, who's the number one protagonist that the police will pursue (was that enough P's?). I would argue that suspects one through fifty are a part of that post. One might argue privacy, but electronic media, especially when issues are posted in such a public manner, erode the expectation of privacy, thus rights. For the commission and investigation of a crime, police have been granted broad powers, and innocent posts can become part of a broader net of evidence against someone.

It's been said a million times, and will be said a million more, be careful of what you post online. Even emails have limited protection because of the use of public lines to transmit messages from one person to another. If you would not say it in a crowded theater, think carefully about saying it online.