21Dec/09
One of the biggest reasons social networking has blown up in the past couple years is the ease of availability. As phones continue to evolve, and more people begin to invest in a smartphone, the ability to “tweet” on Twitter or post updates to Facebook becomes easier. This can also be attributed to the rise of netbooks, expansion of 3g networks as well as the growing number of wi-fi hotspots.
It’s fitting then to finally see courts address social networks directly.
Regardless of what you think about the order, a federal judge banned political consultant Sam Riddle from posting messages about his pending criminal case on social networking sites. We've seen courtrooms embrace Twitter and more recently ban Twitter according to FRCP compliance.
We’re seeing different rulings in different cases, but the one constant is that social networking compliance is being addressed. Tweets and updates are even considered a part of electronic discovery. If you’re in an audit situation and asked to provide all relevant data from a certain time-period, the archiving and production of “tweets” and updates may very well be considered to be a part of this request!
Judges are starting to address social networking compliance directly. This is a testament to how quickly social networking has grown, but also validates its effectiveness and the power that social networks have.
