Prosecuters Using MySpace Photos to Convict Boinktards

[mandy]

Social networking sites can sometimes be useful resources for prosecutors attempting to send drunk drivers to prison. Seeing a photo of the accused at a party -- drink in hand, naturally -- that took place after a serious drunk driving accident can suggest the driver feels little in the way of remorse and can have quite an effect on what sort of sentence a judge imposes...

Online hangouts like Facebook and MySpace have offered crime-solving help to detectives and become a resource for employers vetting job applicants. Now the sites are proving fruitful for prosecutors, who have used damaging Internet photos of defendants to cast doubt on their character during sentencing hearings and argue for harsher punishment.

"Social networking sites are just another way that people say things or do things that come back and haunt them," said Phil Malone, director of the cyberlaw clinic at Harvard Law School's Berkman Center for Internet & Society. "The things that people say online or leave online are pretty permanent."...

full article: http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/Feck...63877.html