Traps of the Information Age: Blogs, voice mail and e-mail
By Oliver Frascona, Esq.
Frascona, Joiner, Goodman & Greenstein, PC
Well, it’s here. The Information Age. So nice to just “check it out on the web.”
But there are also viruses, all sorts of malware, threats to data, and identity theft – and that is just for starters. The real issue is the digital paper trail that is left by the unwary. You only have to take a look at national politics on a given day to see that stupidity is rampant in the digital world among many who just don’t think.
Yes, it is easy to access the web. Just remember that those blogs are out there and they don’t come back. E-mail is out there waiting for someone to use it later in life. Many people have sent a message to one person thinking that they sent it to a different one. Yes, even attorneys have send a message to someone using auto fill, only to find out that it went to the opposing attorney or someone else.
It still amazes me what people will say on voice mail, things they would never say in person. There it is, nicely saved for use later. Those messages come back to haunt us, as do the e-mails and cell phone call records that are out there on someone’s server just waiting for an investigation by someone with enough money or power to access them. No, this is not China I am talking about – it is America. And here we know what we are doing and have the freedom to do it.
Think! Use caution with what you put out on the Internet and through a web site; watch your comments on a blog and on voice mail systems. Would you want to see it again in print or at the Real Estate Commission or in court?
Welcome to the digital life trail that never gets erased.
Oliver E. Frascona is a shareholder in Frascona, Joiner, Goodman and Greenstein, P.C., a Colorado law firm. His practice areas include real estate, brokerage law, contracts, finance, land use, leasing, real estate title, business law, association law, and litigation. He can be reached at oliver@frascona.com.
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