Facebook; The Virtual Wall of Shame

[chanel]

LOS ANGELES -- Police in a city ranked top in the state for alcohol-related traffic fatalities might soon be trying a new tactic to keep drunken drivers off the road: Electronic shaming on Facebook.

In a contentious move that has raised the hackles of privacy advocates and been met with resistance from a police department fearful of alienating residents, a councilman in Huntington Beach wants police to begin posting the mug shots of everyone who is arrested more than once for driving while under the influence.

"If it takes shaming people to save lives, I am willing to do it," said Devin Dwyer, the councilman behind the proposal. "I'm hoping it prevents others from getting behind the wheel and getting inebriated."

Dwyer initially wanted the police department to post on Facebook photographs of everyone arrested for DUI in the bar-laden beach town just south of Los Angeles. He has watered down his proposal -- now only repeat offenders would be featured on the virtual wall of shame -- in hopes of winning support from the rest of the seven-member council, which is set to vote on the issue Tuesday.

Read more: FoxNews.com - Calif. City May Put DUI Mug Shots on Facebook

Good idea?

 

[Madeline]

No.

Repeat offenders should be doing prison time and should never be given a driver's license again. However, such changes cannot be made by a municipality, so this is the worst they can do. I don't think it'll work, but I see no reason to object.

No one has a privacy interest in his own arrest and conviction; those are inherently public events.

 

[Sallow]

Oh great.

Spotlighting people so nuts can go after them

 

[uscitizen]

No.

Repeat offenders should be doing prison time and should never be given a driver's license again. However, such changes cannot be made by a municipality, so this is the worst they can do. I don't think it'll work, but I see no reason to object.

No one has a privacy interest in his own arrest and conviction; those are inherently public events.

Yep and any car they are caught driving unless stolen of course is to be impounded and auctioned off with the proceeds going to help victims of drunk drivers.

 

[Modbert]

Sounds like a waste of time and money to me. I wonder how long it will be before they would change the law to first time offenders like the person originally wanted.

Also, the wording of what they want to do is a little shady.

The article says arrested more than once for DUI. It doesn't say convicted, it says arrested. Arrest does not equal automatic conviction.

Also, this could probably fall under "cruel and unusual" punishment, therefore unconstitutional. Once someone has served their time, they have paid their debt to society.

 

[syrenn]

It sounds great to me! Also not a bad idea for dead beat parents who don't pay their child support.


I use this tacit myself on my sister. I tell her when i will be there and to get a sitter on her wall. I will post the restaurant and time of reservation. NO mistakes or ooppss i didnt know or forgot.

 

[whitehall]

The program is an indication of the failing influence of mulch media (newspapers). Years ago having "your name in the paper" would be shame enough. Nobody reads the papers anymore. The problem as we all know is the potential for hackers to insert fake info.

 

[boedicca]

No. This is an extreme violation of privacy. The worst threat to individual privacy today is the cronyism between large companies such as Facebook and Google with the government.

I highly recommend updating one's FB profile to make sure various items of information are not shared across the broad internet.

 

[chanel]

Here in NJ we have the Megans Law registry and the DOC websites replete with pics and criminal history. I don't see how this would be any different, except there is a disclaimer on those sites. Facebook might be a much cheaper alternative to a state-created website. A lot cheaper.

 

[George Costanza]

Oh great.

Spotlighting people so nuts can go after them

That's what Megan's Law is all about.

 

[George Costanza]

Here in NJ we have the Megans Law registry and the DOC websites replete with pics and criminal history. I don't see how this would be any different, except there is a disclaimer on those sites. Facebook might be a much cheaper alternative to a state-created website. A lot cheaper.

It isn't any different. That doesn't make it right. Neither of these two "remedies" is a good one.

 

[Modbert]

Here in NJ we have the Megans Law registry and the DOC websites replete with pics and criminal history. I don't see how this would be any different, except there is a disclaimer on those sites. Facebook might be a much cheaper alternative to a state-created website. A lot cheaper.

Megan's Law - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A December 2008 study of the law in New Jersey concluded that it had no effect on community tenure (i.e., time to first re-arrest), showed no demonstrable effect in reducing sexual re-offenses, had no effect on the type of sexual re-offense or first time sexual offense (still largely child molestation/incest), and had no effect on reducing the number of victims of sexual offenses. The authors felt that given the lack of demonstrated effect of the law on sexual offenses, its growing costs may not be justifiable.

 

[syrenn]

The thing that everyone is missing about all of this facebook and social networking crap is that it IS public.

The simple solution is not to use them.

 

[chanel]

Well these folks wouldn't have a choice.

And Modbert I don't know if your study is right or wrong, but I do know many, many parents and teachers who check that registry regularly. If others don't care, that's their perogative. And that registry is about shame as much as prevention.; which is what this guy wants for drunk drivers as well. Hardly "cruel and unusual". Some states post billboards of deadbeat dads.

 

[JamesInFlorida]

It's an invasion of privacy. And most likely you already have access to something like this. In highschool a teacher at my school was arrested for DUI, and he was a computer teacher. That week in school every background was changed to his mugshot, in which is he was actually wearing a t-shirt of our school.

I'm of the belief that once you serve the punishment for society-it's over with. I'm all for cracking down on DUIs-but not in this fashion.