Social Media and the Law: How to Reduce Your Risk

Social media and the law. It’s probably not something you think about everyday—or every tweet, for that matter—but, if your not careful, you may find yourself stooped in regret.

2011 saw a spike in legal action in the online social realm. Now, attorneys are predicting 2012 will bring even more lawsuits and court decisions. So it’s important to constantly think about how you and your organization are using Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and other social networks.

A few ways you could get yourself into trouble:

  • violating the terms of service on a social media site you use;
  • not understanding how to manage user-generated content on your website;
  • violating some one’s copyright/trademark or misunderstanding works in the public domain;
  • not providing full disclosure if you receive something for free;
  • improperly sharing user data;
  • or not working with a Facebook-approved ad developer.

Worst case, you could end up losing your job or even face criminal charges.

That’s where law guru and SoCon12 sponsor Law2sm comes in. A recent start up by Deborah Gonzalez, the company seeks to:

  1. Make the public aware that legal issues do exist with social media – from privacy to employment termination, from creative theft to identity theft, from corporate espionage to cyber- bullying, from reputation control to digital asset management, and everything in between.
  2. Provide resources to help clients reduce risk and liability – we do not say “No – don’t do social media.” We say “Yes, with the right protection and legal strategies.”
  3. Keep the legal profession at the top of its game with fulfilling client needs – including the physical, the tangible, and the digital.

Check out the company’s breadth services to help keep your outfit in good legal standing before it’s too late. Got your own tale of social media blunders, or tips to avoid them? We’d love to hear.

 

Top photo by smlp.co.uk via Flickr

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