AOL Journals: Magic Smoke

Tuesday, December 20, 2005
11:01:00 PM EST
Hearing Law & Order: Criminal Intent (oddly enough) I'm starting to think that we're going to need a version of the Miranda warning solely for bloggers:

"Anything you blog can and will be used against you in a court of law (and every other darned place)."

As found on Fark: Blake Ranking, a Florida high schooler and blogger, plead guilty to DUI manslaughter because of what he wrote on his blog.

This was after a car accident that killed his best friend and seriously injured himself and another passenger. It seems Mr. Ranking, who was drunk (underaged, of course) and sitting in the back seat, decided at some point to grab the steering wheel (as also seen by witnesses), which caused the fatal crash.

Three days later, he blogged about it, and prosecutors found out. Combined with eyewitness testimony and interviews, things didn't look so good for Mr. Ranking.

Mr. Ranking later retracted the confession, deleted his entry, and made an explanation, but the damage had been done... draw your own conclusions.

It also reminds me of an episode last month, when Hossein Derakhshan (a.k.a. Hoder), an Iranian-born blogger (and Canadian citizen) who'd been living in New York for a while, popped back over the border to Canada for a visit.

On the way back into the States, one of the Customs and Border Protection officers googled him and read his blog, where he made a determination that Hoder wasn't allowed back into the country.

Whether it's the police, the border patrol, your mom or your boss, whether it's now or 10 years from now, there are probably people whom you don't want reading your blog. So think before you post.

Oh, and the next time I hear some distressed blogger say, "I can't believe they found my [publically available] blog!", I swear I'm going to reach through the screen and dope-slap them.

Thanks -- Joe

Tag: Busted for Blogging

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This entry has 10 comments: (Add your own)

• #10 Comment from jessiperal3 
  1/2/06 11:06 AM | Permalink

  it doesn't  get any more real then this  if God see's what you are doing from heaven   ,the news reporters see what you are doing behind the sences and your job sees what you are doing behind servailence imagine what the world sees if a pin size tatto can be seen maginfied proportions imagine what else is seen lets face it what is done in secret will in fact be exposed darkness wants to come to the light so we all should concider what we do behind closes doors
• #9 Comment from garrios 
  1/1/06 11:48 AM | Permalink

  I expect there is already a special unit of both state and federal law set up to monitor blogs. There will be people in business checking employees blogs so lets either watch that we keep our writing safe or not write at all.
• #8 Comment from journalseditorEntry Author 
  12/22/05 6:39 PM | Permalink

  Here's what Urban Dictionary says about "dope slap" -- http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Dope+Slap
  Tom and Ray, the www.cartalk.com guys, use it a lot. Thanks -- Joe
• #7 Comment from zosche973 
  12/22/05 6:25 PM | Permalink

  "Dope-slap' them! lol Your right tho-if ya write it, people WILL READ IT-and judge! It it might come back to haunt you for all time! ~Diane~
• #6 Comment from skunkyrip 
  12/21/05 3:22 AM | Permalink

  stupidity gets them all  

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