Disturbing. Absolutely disturbing. On many levels.
IN THE NEWS: WORKER SAYS COMPANY USED COURTS TO FIND ONLINE IDENTITY
PITTSBURGH (AP) - Is it right for a company to take an employee to court to learn his online identity -- then fire the person once the company finds out? That's the basis of a lawsuit filed by a utility worker who used a racial slur on a Yahoo! message board. Clifton Swiger claims Allegheny Energy and a law firm working for it filed suit against a "John Doe" to get Yahoo to give up his identity so the company could retaliate against him. Swiger claims the utility dropped the lawsuit less than a month after it found out who he was and the company also fired him. Swiger's message used a slur for blacks in criticizing the company's diversity policy. A consumer advocacy group that filed the lawsuit on Swiger's behalf says the case is an example of a company trying to silence an employee who had an unpopular message.
2 comments:
I agree. I, too, am disturbed on multiple levels by this article. Everything from privacy issues and freedom of speech issues, to the racist attitude of the one fired.
Freedom of speech is not an issue here. We are not free to say what we want in our places of employment...at least not free from whatever actions our employer might take. The "freedom" to which we're entitled is from censure by our government. The government can't tell you what you can and can't say (though it does), but your employer can, in the context of the company, and your mother can.
I think the same goes for the privacy issue.
But it still sucks. A person is entitled to his opinion, no matter how offensive it might be. Yahoo! should be ashamed of themsselves. They should have refused to divulge/countersued to protect their client.
dassall
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