Privacy online is an oxymoron in term and there should be no protection under the law for idiots. A recent case involving a chap called John Leduc could only make me laugh. Mr. Leduc was involved in a car accident in 2004 in Lindsay, Ontario. He launched a lawsuit against Janice Roman claiming that the injuries that he sustained in the accident have affected his ability to enjoy life. Sounds reasonable, doesn’t it?

Instead of laying low and behaving in a manner consistent with life changing injuries, Mr. Leduc’s Facebook pages indicate no loss of enjoyment or that any alterations in his lifestyle were made after the accident. Mr. Leduc was under the impression that because his Facebook pages were only available to his friends and not to the general public, he could post anything at all with complete impunity. Toronto’s Justice David Brown of Ontario’s Superior Court says differently, stating that Mr. Leduc will not be able hide behind self-set privacy controls. He will have to submit to cross-examination by Janice Roman’s lawyers about the content that he posted on his Facebook pages.

This should certainly change the way the some people are using Facebook. No longer can anyone assume a level of privacy for any information that is posted anywhere online blogs, MySpace, LinkedIn, or any other social networking or online media sites. They will all now be considered fair game in legal cases, particularly in personal injury law suits. The Internet should not provide a shield for criminal activity and if for nothing else, Mr. Leduc should be arrested for stupidity and arrogance.