AP Twitter Account Hack Causes Dow Jones to Plunge

As social media becomes a bigger part of our everyday lives, the legal issues surrounding social media increase greatly.  One of the verified Associated Press Twitter accounts was hacked earlier today and the hacker tweeted, "Breaking: Two Explosions in the White House and Barack Obama is injured".   Within minutes the Dow Jones Industrial Average plunged 140 points.

Hacking into the AP's Twitter account may violate multiple federal and state laws.  Was this hack done to intentionally create chaos and/or harm our financial makets?  Was the hacker testing how the U.S. financial markets, and/or the media, and/or the government would react to the hack? What was the motive behind the hack?  Was this just a big joke done for personal pleasure?  Do those who lost money in the stock market because of the hack have a cause of action against the hacker?

These are some of the many questions that may be answered in the near future.
   
To learn more about these issues you may contact me at www.shearlaw.com.

Copyright 2013 by the Law Office of Bradley S. Shear, LLC All rights reserved. 

Sex-crime victim may be jailed for tweeting names of her attackers

According to the Louisville Courier-Journal, Savannah Dietrich may be incarcerated for contempt-of-court charges for tweeting her attackers' names after they were allegedly offered a lenient plea bargain. Dietrich's attackers also circulated photos of the alleged incident.

Dietrich alleged she was sexually assaulted in August 2011 while passed out at a party. Two juvenile attackers were charged with felony first-degree sexual abuse and misdemeanor voyeurism. The teen perpetrators pleaded guilty to those charges this past June and Dietrich was upset with the plea bargain so she decided to speak out.

Under Kentucky law, juvenile court is closed to protect the confidentiality of those involved with the proceedings. However, since Dietrich's attackers took photos of the alleged incident and circulated them does Dietrich have a valid argument that her attackers voluntarily gave up any right to confidentiality?

To learn more about these issues you may contact me at www.shearlaw.com

Copyright 2012 by the Law Office of Bradley S. Shear, LLC. All rights reserved.