Actually,
in this instance, the woman won’t face a fine because officials with the Will
County Forest Preserve District decided to rescind the ticket they initially
issued her – one that called for a $50 fine.
BUT
THE FACT that someone reading a Facebook page who was in a position of
authority decided that something posted there could be worthy of some form of discipline
could be something we see more of.
And
it’s likely that in the future, some official won’t back down from insisting on
collecting a fine. Some municipality is bound to think they need the money
badly enough to want to have someone scour through Facebook in search of
something that could hint at a violation.
One
that needs to be punished!
“Big
Brother” really is watching you! Even all the stupid, trivial things you elect
to post on your Facebook account page.
PERSONALLY,
I ONLY use Facebook to promote this weblog and its sister site. Anybody reading
my page is only going to get tidbits about what is published here. Along with
the occasional comment my aunts in the greater Minneapolis, Minn., area decide
to post.
Although
I suppose someone offended by my opinion could try to harass me in the same
way. Not that I’m overly concerned about what some anonymous crank thinks of
what I choose to write.
But
the larger lesson is that Facebook does put our comments out there to a wide
audience – many of whom are people we don’t know. That’s kind of the whole
point of the concept – which is why I don’t post much personal material beyond
what I write here.
It’s
kind of like asking the local police to prod in your life, which is what
happened to the Bolingbrook woman.
THE
CHICAGO TRIBUNE reported Thursday now the woman got a $50 ticket on May 20
because of a comment she posted on a page related to the Whalon Lake Dog Park
in Bolingbrook.
There
have been problems at the dog park related to “kennel cough” being passed
around area dogs. The woman, according to the Tribune, posted a comment saying
she hadn’t bought a permit to use the dog park this year, but wrote it in a
vague way that could be interpreted to say she had used the park.
One
forest preserve district read the comment, passed it along to a superior, and
then the ticket was issued.
It
seems the woman hasn’t been at the dog park this year, so the ticket for using
the dog park without a permit turned out to be premature.
THE
DISTRICT’S POLICE department said it is reviewing its policies, while saying it
does not plan to routinely monitor social media accounts. They also say there
are no plans to discipline the officer who issued the citation, or any others
involved, because they tell the Tribune there were “good intentions” involved.
But
what happens when we get a governmental entity that isn’t quite so
understanding about the concept of social media and a person’s desire to
express themselves?
Will
we someday get overzealous officials who view social media comments the same
way they now view traffic violations – as something to be routed out in great
numbers so that citations can be issued and fines can be collected.
People
should keep this in mind, and perhaps learn to be overly precise in what they
write. Because even though they think they’re writing for a select audience of
like-minded people, other people are reading. And reacting.
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