The New York Bar Association has decreed that it’s okay for lawyers to troll through Facebook and other social media sites for damaging info on their opposition. There is an important caveat, though. It’s only ethical if the info is publicly available. “Friending” someone for the purpose of accessing data the person only makes available to their “friends” is not kosher, nor is it cool to ask someone else to do it for you.

Just one more reason to think carefully about what you post on social media sites, and make sure you evaluate your privacy and information display options on all social media sites you participate in.

NY Bar: Lawyers may comb social media for dirt [Boston Herald]

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