Facebook statement: monitoring an account might be abuse or bullying(?!?)

[AmyAlb]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? I live abroad:Uk

Hi all there,

I casually found this FAQ answered on Facebook's website:
=====
What can I do if my current or ex-boyfriend, girlfriend, or spouse is controlling or monitoring what I do on Facebook?

If someone is controlling or monitoring your activity on Facebook, you have options. Depending on the circumstances, you could change the privacy settings on your Facebook account so that this person can’t access your information. If this isn't enough, please review our information on bullying.
======

My question is: is this answer legally sound?

How/when can monitoring an account be ever considered bullying? If I monitor all the news about Kim Kardashian (say: I set up a Google alert about her) am I bullying her? She even doesn't know i exist! What about "controlling"? Is that word any different from "monitoring"?

The answer continues:
===================
If this is someone you’re currently in a relationship with, it could be a sign of relationship abuse. Please call the National Domestic Violence hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE or visit the National Network to End Domestic Violence for information on what to do. If you’re not sure your computer is safe, use a friend's computer or a computer in a public place. To learn more about computer safety, visit the Center for Relationship Abuse Awareness
===================

Again is this legally sound?

If my spouse monitors/controls (=read/see) all I publish on Facebook, could he be abusing me? Really?
And still: If he (or a stranger) manages to see what I post for my friends only when he's no in my FB friend's list (it's always easy to find a way), is he abusing me? Is seeing what you publish fro you friends only (because always publishing is) when you arenot a friend a crime?

Imo both the word "monitoring" and "controlling" imply that you are not confronted with the content of what you post. If they do and you find it annoying, that's not monitoring or controlling, that's harassment but that still something different!

Or did I miss something?

Thanks a lot.


(source: https://www.facebook.com/help/131920223550312)

 

[quincy]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? I live abroad (but it's irrelevant in this case).

Hi all there,

I casually found this FAQ answered on Facebook's website:
=====
What can I do if my current or ex-boyfriend, girlfriend, or spouse is controlling or monitoring what I do on Facebook?

If someone is controlling or monitoring your activity on Facebook, you have options. Depending on the circumstances, you could change the privacy settings on your Facebook account so that this person can’t access your information. If this isn't enough, please review our information on bullying.
======

My question is: is this answer legally sound?

How/when can monitoring an account be ever considered bullying? If I monitor all the news about Kim Kardashian (say: I set up a Google alert about her) am I bullying her? She even doesn't know i exist! What about "controlling"? Is that word any different from "monitoring"?

The answer continues:
===================
If this is someone you’re currently in a relationship with, it could be a sign of relationship abuse. Please call the National Domestic Violence hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE or visit the National Network to End Domestic Violence for information on what to do. If you’re not sure your computer is safe, use a friend's computer or a computer in a public place. To learn more about computer safety, visit the Center for Relationship Abuse Awareness
===================

Again is this legally sound?

If my spouse monitors/controls (=read/see) all I publish on Facebook, could he be abusing me? Really?
And still: If he (or a stranger) manages to see what I post for my friends only when he's no in my FB friend's list (it's always easy to find a way), is he abusing me? Is seeing what you publish fro you friends only (because always publishing is) when you arenot a friend a crime?

Imo both the word "monitoring" and "controlling" imply that you are not confronted with the content of what you post. If they do and you find it annoying, that's not monitoring or controlling, that's harassment but that still something different!

Or did I miss something?

Thanks a lot.


(source: https://www.facebook.com/help/131920223550312)

Facebook is not offering legal advice.

State names in the US, or country names if not in the US, matter on this site and when it comes to the law.

 

[AmyAlb]

Facebook is not offering legal advice.

In this case, it seems it does. They speak about bullying as a consequence of monitoring and abuse as a consequence of a partner's monitoring. They advice people to call domestic violence numbers when you have a partner monitoring your account. All this sounds rather legal to me.

 

[quincy]

Thank you for adding to your original post that you reside in the UK. This site handles US law questions only.

In the US, each state has different laws on abuse and bullying, and words in the laws can be defined differently. Under some state laws, monitoring Facebook postings could fall under one of these laws or under another law altogether. If you lived in a US state, this could be explored more fully.

But for you in the UK, the bottom line is that Facebook was not offering legal advice and was not saying that monitoring someone's Facebook account was abuse or bullying. Facebook was taking into account the different laws that might exist, in the US or elsewhere.

 

[CTU]

I'll be a little more blunt: you're misunderstanding what you're reading. It doesn't say what you think it says.

 

[quincy]

Here are three links for you, AmyAlb.

You can find information about online abuse in the first two links.

The third link is to a UK legal advice forum where you can continue the discussion, as this site handles US law questions only.

https://cyber.harvard.edu/vaw00/cyberstalking_laws.html

http://www.haltabuse.org/resources/laws/

http://www.thelawforum.co.uk/

 

[AmyAlb]

Facebook was taking into account the different laws that might exist, in the US or elsewhere.

What you say makes (legal) sense and it's very well possible that they meant to say that, still it would have been more clear if they would have used your own words and had spoken about geography instead of writing "according to the circustances" and "might be".

Then, even if I do not live in the USA, it would be still fun to know in which states the "Facebook stalking" (= monitoring someone's account) is considered bullying/abuse. I did not write here to talk about me or a case of mine.

Still, let's talk about the USA only. I find Facebook statement misleading: it gives USA users the delusion that they (might) have privacy rights for publishing on Facebook against "Facebook stalkers" when this might be valid in some USA states only.

Don't you find it misleading?

 

[quincy]

What you say makes (legal) sense and it's very well possible that they meant to say that, still it would have been more clear if they would have used your own words and had spoken about geography instead of writing "according to the circustances" and "might be".

Then, even if I do not live in the USA, it would be still fun to know in which states the "Facebook stalking" (= monitoring someone's account) is considered bullying/abuse. I did not write here to talk about me or a case of mine.

Still, let's talk about the USA only. I find Facebook statement misleading: it gives USA users the delusion that they (might) have privacy rights for publishing on Facebook against "Facebook stalkers" when this might be valid in some USA states only.

Don't you find it misleading?

This isn't a discussion forum or a place for hypotheticals, AmyAlb.

In my previous post, I provided you with three links. Two for your reading enjoyment and one to a UK forum. The UK forum might entertain a discussion of Facebook's question and answer wording. You could post there and see.

 

[AmyAlb]

This isn't a discussion forum or a place for hypotheticals, AmyAlb.

In my previous post, I provided you with two links. One for your reading enjoyment and one to a UK forum. The UK forum might entertain a discussion of Facebook's question and answer wording. You could post there and see.

I had not seen the links as yet (sorry) and I'm not after hyphoteticals but the laws in the various USA states. I'll give a look at the first link you sent.
I know the Uk forum, I am there too but they cannot give me information about cyberbullying in the USA. Can't a British be interested in the USA legislations?

Thanks for your time and your links, though.

Cheers.

 

[quincy]

I had not seen the links as yet (sorry) and I'm not after hyphoteticals but the laws in the various USA states. I'll give a look at the first link you sent.
I know the Uk forum, I am there too but they cannot give me information about cyberbullying in the USA. Can't a British be interested in the USA legislations?

Thanks for your time and your links, though.

Cheers.

Yes, you can be interested in US laws. Research all you want. There is plenty of information available for you to read online about the laws in all 50 states of the US.

But FreeAdvice is not a discussion forum.

Enjoy your research and your exchanges on the UK forum.

Cheers.

 

[AmyAlb]

But FreeAdvice is not a discussion forum.

Ok. I see the issue then maybe you know of a USA legal discussion forum i can subscribe to?
Thanks a lot.

 

[quincy]

Ok. I see the issue then maybe you know of a USA legal discussion forum i can subscribe to?
Thanks a lot.

I do not know of one offhand. Sorry.

 

[stealth2]

Then, even if I do not live in the USA, it would be still fun to know in which states the "Facebook stalking" (= monitoring someone's account) is considered bullying/abuse. I did not write here to talk about me or a case of mine.

I dunno - I wouldn't find it "fun" to do Google searches for you.

 

[Zigner]

AmyAlb...is English your first language? If so, then I really don't understand your confusion on the subject. Best of luck to you.

 

[LdiJ]

What you say makes (legal) sense and it's very well possible that they meant to say that, still it would have been more clear if they would have used your own words and had spoken about geography instead of writing "according to the circustances" and "might be".

Then, even if I do not live in the USA, it would be still fun to know in which states the "Facebook stalking" (= monitoring someone's account) is considered bullying/abuse. I did not write here to talk about me or a case of mine.

Still, let's talk about the USA only. I find Facebook statement misleading: it gives USA users the delusion that they (might) have privacy rights for publishing on Facebook against "Facebook stalkers" when this might be valid in some USA states only.

Don't you find it misleading?

You are using monitoring/controlling in a different context than facebook is. You are using it as =read/see when they are using it in the context of "checking out everything you post in order to make sure that you are not posting anything that they disapprove of, controlling exactly what you post so that you are only posting what they approve for you to post". That most definitely can be bullying and/or a sign of abuse.