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    You Can't Sue Family Over Unwanted Facebook Photos, Says Judge [VIDEO]

    By Zoe Fox | Mashable – Tue, Feb 21, 2012

    Whether we look too young, too old or too inebriated, we've all been there -- tagged in unflattering Facebook photos. But if you're thinking of filing a lawsuit about it, think again.

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    Uploading an unflattering photo is not grounds for a harassment suit, a Minnesota district court has ruled.

    Aaron Olson of Chicago City, Minn. figured this out the hard way, on behalf of every Facebook user who has ever been embarrassed by a photo tag. Olson sued his uncle Randall LaBrie for harassment, after LeBrie put a posted a childhood photo of him posing in front of a Christmas tree, along with a snarky caption.

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    Olson requested his uncle remove the photos or edit them to remove Olson from the images. Though LaBrie removed the photo tags, he told Olson that if he didn't like the photos he "should stay off Facebook."

    Judge Natalie E. Hudson ruled that "to constitute harassment, words must have a substantial adverse effect on the safety, security, or privacy of another. Comments that are mean and disrespectful, coupled with innocuous family photos, do not affect a person’s safety, security, or privacy — and certainly not substantially so."

    Translation: You are safe under U.S. law to embarrass your family members.

    SEE ALSO: Awkward Family Photos Website Launches Board Game

    In fact, LaBrie and Olson are not even Facebook friends, suggesting there's more to this family drama than revealed by the lawsuit.

    How do you respond to unwanted photos of yourself tagged on Facebook? Do you think Olson overreacted? Let us know in the comments.

    Image courtesy of iStockphoto, USERNAME

    This story originally published on Mashable here.

     

    1 comment

    • sfebon
      sfebon  •  3 mths ago
      nope he did not. In an age where facebook is trolled by prospective employers you need to have control over that kind of content, especially if the uncle is malicious.
     Post a comment
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