Can too much freedom of expression on blogs get one into trouble?
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A few years back, a 38-year-old Korean man was arrested for smoking pot in Amsterdam while he was there on a business trip.
No, he wasn’t arrested in Amsterdam (phew, I can hear a sigh of relief from pot smokers around the world who journey to Amsterdam for such a smoking pleasure) but he was under investigation in Korea for bragging about his Amsterdam good time on his personal blog. Why? Smoking marijuana may be legal in the Netherlands, but not if you’re Korean.
According to a newspaper story in Korea, “the bragging doper could be liable for jail time under Korean drug laws” because “South Korean criminal laws adopt both personal and territorial principles, meaning that a South Korean national who violates South Korean laws in another country can be punished back home, even if what he did was legal where he did it.”
While in the Netherlands, the Korean man and two coworkers went to a coffee shop to partake in some of the herb. After he returned to Korea, the man was moved to write about the experience on his blog in which he wrote, “the room was spinning and I lost the strength in my legs.” He also blogged about how to buy marijuana at a coffee shop.
However, he was in for a rude awakening when he was tracked down by alert police investigating Internet drug trading and the trippy traveler found himself in serious hot water. Next time he should stick with the coffee, man.
He probably thought, no harm no foul when he got back to Korea to blog about his experience, but the truth is what one blogs about, especially for public consumption, can be detrimental to one’s livelihood, career or other public standing if it is something controversial or unethical.
It has become commonplace, at least here in Korea, for employers to check up on would be candidates for job positions by reading their blogs and other online postings like social networking sites. Likewise, if one is like the dope bragging blogger and writes about something they did while they were on vacation, it could get them into trouble when they return back to their country.
Perhaps some people think that what they blog about is their freedom of expression and that they are not liable for their words. After all, what they blog about doesn’t necessarily have to be the truth and unless one is viciously slandering someone in a blog post I would think that there’s not much legal action that could be taken. So, a guy brags about smoking pot in Amsterdam on his blog, big deal. Unless there’s some evidence of the person lighting up some marijuana, he or she hasn’t really broken any law, have they?
On the other hand, what someone blogs about can alert authorities to investigate that person if it is suspected of having done something wrong or illegal. It doesn’t have to be illegal either; it could have been something innocuous, but once it is out there in cyber space on someone’s blog, it might not always be interpreted as innocuous.
You probably don’t want to be talking about your sex life on your blog unless you get a kinky kick out of sharing your sexcapades with readers. Your readers might get a kick out of them, but probably your boss or employer won’t.
Some people deserve to be caught, their blog shut down and investigated. Years ago, there was an American expat in Korea, who after getting out of the military while stationed in Korea, started teaching English. He started to keep a blog and started to write about his sexual exploits-he must have been a big hit with his buddies back home, but not in Korea, where after someone tipped off authorities about his blog (which featured, if I am not mistaken, some rather risqué photos of the women he had slept with) he was investigated and his blog shut down.
This was right around the time some American and Canadian English teachers were featured in a Korean TV documentary drunk and disorderly in one of the foreign enclaves in Seoul. Really got a lot of Koreans angry with foreign teachers in Korea-anger and resentment which hasn’t subsided yet. This blogger was just asking for trouble and that is exactly what he got.
It doesn’t have to be about smoking pot or having sex either that call attention to one’s blog and cause some problems. Although blogging your political views and venting anger won’t have authorities pounding on your door if you say something out of line, it might again raise a few eyebrows-especially if you are looking for a job or hoping to keep the one you have; your freedom of expression can be harmful if this expression is taken to an extreme.
There really is nothing private about the Internet or one’s personal blog. Even harmless joking can be misinterpreted or misconstrued. Once it is out there in cyber space for public dissemination and consumption it is all up for grabs. Someone always knows what you are thinking and doing.
October 29th, 2009 at 11:33 am
I’ve always been told that the internet is a place where anything you say can be lost and then retrieved too. This article just reinforces the fact that you can never be too safe when it comes to what you say on the internet. Really good stuff! A must read!
October 29th, 2009 at 12:12 pm
Be careful what you say online, period, for you leave an online trail, an electronic footprint if you will, making it easier to track you. Thought-provoking piece, Papa.
October 29th, 2009 at 12:33 pm
Good post. Maybe that’s why I don’t blog.
October 29th, 2009 at 1:01 pm
I have to agree. There are some things in ones personal life that should not be for public consumption. It’s called your “personal life” for a reason. And this guy in your article – well he just wasn’t thinking straight. Firstly, he was on a business trip representing his company. Anything done in such a situation can have an effect on the reputation of your company – when that effect is negative, you may be looking at being fired. The legal ramifications are another story altogether.
October 29th, 2009 at 1:14 pm
Agree, sometimes writers should put a lid on themselves, if it doesn’t help the writing or your image as a writer, put it in the trash. Not everything has to be published.
October 29th, 2009 at 1:59 pm
Good write. Interesting!
October 29th, 2009 at 4:32 pm
All very true! All employers tend to have a ‘computer policy’ in place these days to warn its staff over internet conduct and the impact it may have on their work. Everyone needs to be wary, even on Facebook!
October 29th, 2009 at 4:51 pm
Good information to know…
October 29th, 2009 at 5:41 pm
If its on the Internet someone can find it. Your article makes a very important point.
October 29th, 2009 at 6:21 pm
Great point made within this article, I am so glad I don’t work for a company that won’t let you express yourself, you do have to be so careful on the internet, never say anything you are embarrassed or guilty about, just be true and honest and lawful.
October 29th, 2009 at 7:46 pm
Terric write on a great subject! You made some excellent points about blogging.I sure wouldn’t want to be Korean!! But then again I wouldn’t be bragging about smoking dope either.I guess some popel just don’t have a little thing called common sense. Really enjoayble read papa.Good stuff!
October 29th, 2009 at 8:19 pm
I couldn’t agree with you more, Papa. We should all be careful what we blog about!!
October 29th, 2009 at 9:16 pm
Absolutely right, common sense is a must when bloging.
October 30th, 2009 at 3:38 am
Good post. And great reminders too.
October 30th, 2009 at 8:06 pm
great info here and you must be careful with online period.
October 31st, 2009 at 10:50 am
A very valid point, unfortunately…
October 31st, 2009 at 11:02 am
I totally agree, thanks for sharing this post.
November 1st, 2009 at 3:16 pm
You are so right, I even hate to have a page on Facebook!!
November 3rd, 2009 at 12:01 pm
How true, its like putting stuff over a loud speaker.
November 17th, 2009 at 2:45 pm
nice write up, like ken, i don’t blog too!