Legal Documents Served Through Facebook

It may be the first legal ruling of its kind. Facebook has become part of the legal process. A judge in Australia is allowing legal documents to be served via Facebook:

“As unwanted Facebook messages go, it would take some beating. A judge in Australia has ruled that house repossession notices can now be served on the social networking site. So much for simply keeping track of your mates.

A couple in Canberra defaulted on a six-figure loan. A lawyer acting for the lender could not trace the couple at their home or via email. So he applied and was granted the right to serve legally binding documents on Facebook.”

link: Facebook ruling allows repossession papers to be served via website

This extends one’s legal identity onto social network systems. The identity on networks such as Facebook and MySpace may be a valid identifier legally. The debate will be whether privacy protection are viable and legally recognized online.

Catherine Forsythe