The CDA 230 in its current form seems to have protected the posting of highly unwelcome content (nude photos) yet again.  But maybe the courts are starting to open the door for other ways to seek redress?

In this case in Oregon, unlike in other cases we’ve seen, the plaintiff seems to have known (or later found out) who was posting the unwelcome content. That means that this case may not sit on all four legs with some of the more anonymous victimization cases that have appeared over time.

Also, just got off the phone with a USC graduate journalism student who is yet another person writing about the topic of the CDA 230 and the need to consider updating it.

Maintaining one’s privacy in the Internet age is no easy task. Thanks to the ever-evolving efficiency of search engines like Google, it takes literally five minutes for a web searcher to discover phone numbers, home addresses, tax statements, personal pictures, and more. Just imagine what would happen if a class full of sharp-eyed law students were the ones doing the searching. Oh wait, now we don’t have to imagine!

At the behest of their professor, Mr. Joel R. Reidenberg, a class of Fordham University Law School students recently scoured the Internet for the personal information of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. The project, which was conceived by Reidenberg “to illustrate law and policy issues associated with readily available information, contextual use, social norms and the scope of legal protection,” seems to have upset the notoriously grumpy Justice.

In an article for the legal tabloid, Above The Law, Justice Scalia states that, “It is not a rare phenomenon that what is legal may also be quite irresponsible. That appears in the First Amendment context all the time. What can be said often should not be said. Prof. Reidenberg’s exercise is an example of perfectly legal, abominably poor judgment. Since he was not teaching a course in judgment, I presume he felt no responsibility to display any.”

Whether or not you believe Professor Reidenberg was wrong to give his class this assignment, the greater point to take away from this story is that the Internet has made keeping your personal information private very difficult. Although most people are probably not public figures like Justice Scalia, it is still important that they take proactive steps to protect their privacy online.

Online Identity Issues are getting more attention in the Main Stream Media these days. Recently CNN had a discussion about workers being fired for MySpace comments.

What do you think? Is getting fired for online comments fair? Is it something you think about when you are online? Let us know in the comments below.

CNN recently showcased a video that touches on Reputation.com‘s core competencies: Online Reputation Management, Online Identity Management and managing your Google results.

The video has some helpful tips for managing your identity online, and you can always work with professional Online Reputation Managers like Reputation.com for promoting your personal brand on the internet.