July 28, 2009

Warning: The Wrong Tweet Can Get You Sued

A Chicago-area woman is being sued for $50,000 by her landlord over a critical Tweet, the Chicago Sun-Times reported today. The landlord is quoted as describing itself as a "sue first and ask questions later kind of an organization." The tweet in question appeared to go to fewer than 20 friends of the sender.

Listen people, you can get sued for Tweets the same as you can get sued over something you post to a Web site or blog. You may think you are only tweeting to friends, but unless you select "Protect My Tweets" on your Twitter "account" page your tweets are both public and searchable. Facebook isn't safe, either.

David Coursey,PC World

Texting While Driving Is Deadliest Task

Dialing and sending text messages on cell phones while driving greatly increases the risk of crashing because these activities take drivers' eyes off the road, according to a study released Tuesday by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute.

The study tracked the eye glances of drivers and labeled as most dangerous those tasks that drew drivers' eyes away from the road the longest.

By that measure, sending text messages while driving was the most dangerous of all the tasks. It increased the risk of a crash over 23 times for truck drivers and is equivalent to "traveling the length of a football field at 55 mph without looking at the roadway," the study said.

Information Week

July 27, 2009