Legal Question in Civil Rights Law in Washington

hi

i have a facebook page that i post pictures of people at a bus stop. i have been asked to remove this page by my boss. someone came in and complained about the photos and comments that have been posted. i do this from my office window. (i try to keep it clean)

do i have to remove this facebook page? don't i have freedom of speech rights here?

do i have to remove it because i am at work?

i really don't want some guy off the street to win, i don't think he's right.

thanks

t


Asked on 2/03/11, 11:46 am

1 Answer from Attorneys

Amir John Showrai The Pacific Law Firm, PLLC

Facebook and cases that arise under it are part of an emerging area of law. That said, do you have to remove this page? No. Do you have freedom of speech rights to post photos of people on a public bus stop on your Facebook page and comment on their appearance, sure.

If you don't remove it and your boss fires you because somehow your Facebook page is open to the public and it links you to your employer, are you protected? I don't know. Unfortunately, it would take a lot of legal research on my part to answer that question in a vacuum, so you would have to pay me or any other attorney to give you a quality researched answer.

Alternatively, you could risk it, get fired, and then try to figure out your rights in the situation. What you have to ask yourself is whether this is worth the risk?

Maybe as an alternative, start a Facebook page under a pseudonym, so your employer does not link it to you, and then post away at your leisure, just don't mention your employer, anyone that works there, or that the photos were taken from an office inside your employer's building.

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Answered on 2/09/11, 8:20 pm


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