Op-ed Ethics Blog

This is a very interesting situation, conflicting with a lot of ethical aspects of Facebook, internet photos, companies and law firms. But moreover, it really proves the eminent dangers of the internet and how it can destruct potential accomplishments of a person, in regards to the future prospects. You can say that there are dangers lurking in every corner, in every aspects of the internet –so much so that it is unavoidable if you are not careful enough. Everything you do on the internet is being recorded or documented by some other ways; therefore, you would have to be extremely cautious. Code of ethics in media are entangled up in each other’s presences, so it would be an understatement to say that there is only one aspect for this situation, when there are multiples of it. Such aspects are those of the ‘victim’, the person who uploaded and business companies, namely the law firm.
In this case, it is really not fair for the college graduate conventionally because what he did is in the past, like 2 years ago. Of course, he should have checked and been more conscious of his wrong doings, so that a situation like this would be fully prevented. There seems to be no legal recourse for the actions, so he cannot do anything about the law firm not taking him as an employee. But if the pictures were not tagged to his profile, then how would he know if they existed at first place? Now, it’s up to his ‘friend’, the one who uploaded the pictures. In my opinion, it is unacceptable that a person would expose the ‘immoral’ pictures of other person without acknowledging him or without asking for his permission. Frankly, he never should have uploaded those kinds of pictures because not only do they pose disgrace to the public eye on the part of the person who uploaded, but also they greatly hurt the ‘victim’ that it becomes unethical. The code of ethics on Facebook (in regards to one self) states that “you should obviously be wary of potential employers, graduate admissions committees, and uptight family members viewing them and judging you accordingly.” (Weber) Therefore, it is even more wrong to inflict pain upon some other person. “Posting photos depicting other people in compromising situations is clearly not acceptable, as you are subjecting them to potentially detrimental consequences without their consent to do so.” (Weber)
It is extremely hard for the employee to gain legal recourse if what he did was genuinely wrong or at the least, questionable. Only when the employer violates the code of ethics against the employee, does the latter get legal recourse for the situation. That way, “..under the jurisdiction of ASHA (American Speech-Language Hearing Association) Code of Ethics, an employee may have recourse through filing an ethics complaint”. (Huffman) However, in this case, a potential employee violates the company’s Code of Ethics, making it impossible for the company to employ him. The actions done by the employers, ethical or unethical, remain questionable because as unconventional as it seems, they are doing things that are right for their companies. So, it seems understandably ethical from that point of view. Which prestigious law firm would want to employ a person who has had interactions with drugs or illegal activities at the present or in the past? But on the other hand, it is in the past; from the individual’s point of view, it becomes unethical that the company has to take it out on his anticipated potential employment based on the one small blunder he committed at a nothing-but-trivial college party.
Examining this situation makes me realize how crucial it is for Facebook users to adjust the privacy settings to the extent that everything is safe and secure, in terms of content of pictures or information. Otherwise, what started as a fun moment (which is taken as a picture or documented as information) can magnify so much that it would unfairly determine your career prospects. Internet is big and scary; anything can happen on it that you can’t erase. You just have to be super careful because with all the ethics surrounding every aspect of media and business, you can get into unexpected trouble.

References:
Weber, E. Jan 17, 2009. Everyday Ethics. Retrieved from: http://everyday- ethics.org/2009/01/the-ethics-of-facebook-what-should-and-should-not-be-posted/
Huffman, N.P. October 7, 2003. Employers, Employees and Ethics. American Speech-Language Hearing Association. Retrieved from: http://www.asha.org/practice/ethics/Employment.htm