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REAL LIFE NEWS: IDIOT SABOTAGES PERSONAL INJURY SUIT

by Hazed

Be careful what you post on social networking sites - it may come back to bite you later, as a California man found when his personal injury suit was devalued by a judge thanks to his ill-advised postings.

Edie Sedie, a computer animator, launched a suit claiming $2.5 million because of injuries sustained during a collision with a postal service truck in 2006. He testified that "every possible aspect of his life has been and will be affected until the day he dies", including such activities as riding his bicycle, painting, and any vigorous activities.

The problem is, in June 2007 he had posted on MySpace about finding painting frustrating "when his arm hairs would get caught in paint". This, together with other inconsistencies in his testimony, led the Magistrate to reduce his award to $297,624.66 instead of the two and a half million he had been seeking.

This is yet another warning that casual comments made online stick around forever and can have unforeseen consequences in the future.

Another example: the security team of a "mid-sized bank" had a wake-up call when net penetration testers used Facebook profiles of the employees, together with job ads and other info posted online, to garner enough details to allow them to hack into the organization's IT department and take complete control. You can read a fascinating account of how they did it here.

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