Here at the Week in Review, we’ve seen our fair share of bad employee decisions and the terminations that sometimes follow them. This week, workers around the country found themselves in a whole different kind of trouble for their unwise–and illegal–use of technology. In Texas, a teacher was sentenced to five years in prison for having sexual relationships with five of her students. The relationships began via text message and culminated in a cellphone recording of one of the sexual encounters. In Minnesota, a football coach is facing felony child porn charges after the University’s IT department found videos of dancing nude children on his school-issued cell phone. An Oregon store employee was arrested on charges of invasion of privacy after allegedly using his cellphone to spy on a mother and daughter in one of the store’s changing rooms. A Florida Parks and Rec employee suffered a similar fate for videotaping a mother and daughter using one of the park’s restrooms. Although each of these individuals must answer to the criminal justice system, this string of events serves as a reminder of the role technology can play in inappropriate behavior.
Technology and the Workplace
Record $22.5M Google Pact Sparks Self-Scrutiny by Other Companies Regarding Privacy, Data Security (ABA Journal)
Ex-Kennedale Teacher Caught on Tape Having Sex with Students, Sentenced to Five Years in Prison (Star-Telegram) (Above the Law)
Felony Charges Filed Against MN Coach After Child Porn Found on His School-Issued Cellphone (Star Tribune)
NYPD Workers Disciplined for Racist Facebook Posts (La Crosse Tribune)
OR Employee Accused of Peeping into Fitting Room with Cellphone (Katu) (San Francisco Gate)
Boca Raton Parks & Rec Employee Admits to Videotaping Women, Children in Park Bathroom (NBC)
Technology and the Law
CA Senate Passes Social Privacy Bill (WSJ)
Tax-Free Ride is Ending for Online Shoppers in CA and PA (ABA Journal)
Your Online Viewing Habits Are Private and Protected, Says Court (CBS)
Facebook to Remove Content That Incites Violence or Hate Speech (Jagron Post)
450-Foot Cellphone Tower Near BWCA Will Be Allowed (La Crosse Tribune)
Judge Rejects Facebook’s $20M Settlement in Ad Lawsuit (CNN)
There’s an App for That
“Super PAC App” Knows When Political Ads Stretch the Truth (CNN)
Smartphone App Helps More Singles Find the Boy (or Girl) Next Door (NPR)
Facebook & CNN Launch the “I’m Voting” App (CNET)
Free Waze App Uses Crowdsourcing to Help Drivers Avoid Traffic (Autoweek)
Acadian Ambulance Launches New I.C.E. Mobile App (Benzinga)