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MySpace, Facebook Privacy Limits Tested

The operators of MySpace and Facebook social networking sites assure their millions of subscribers that only designated 'friends' can read registrants' private postings. But do the postings stay private if the registrant becomes the plaintiff in an emotional distress case? Can the defendant get the texts of MySpace and Facebook messages to support a defense that the distress claim is bogus? And is the expectation of privacy by users of such sites higher than it is for customers of common e-mail providers such as Microsoft and Comcast?

14 minute readJuly 30, 2007 at 09:52 AM
By
Henry Gottlieb
MySpace, Facebook Privacy Limits Tested

The operators of MySpace and Facebook social networking sites assure their millions of subscribers that only designated 'friends' can read registrants' private postings.

But do the postings stay private if the registrant becomes the plaintiff in an emotional distress case? Can the defendant get the texts of MySpace and Facebook messages to support a defense that the distress claim is bogus?

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