Tagging friends on Facebook can also be a crime

A woman has been found guilty of harassment and faces possible jail time after tagging her sister-in-law with vulgar comments on Facebook.

Westchester County Superior Court Judge Susan Capeci said the act of tagging people on social media, which can send them a message, could be classified as harassment and could land the person doing the tagging in jail.

The ruling came after Judge Susan Capeci settled a case involving a woman named Maria Gonzalez, who was banned from contacting her sister-in-law. That meant Maria couldn’t call or visit her, but the woman set up a Facebook account and repeatedly tagged her in her latest status updates.

In her posts, Maria Gonzalez called her sister-in-law an idiot and made other disrespectful comments. After the case was reviewed and decided by the court, Maria was charged with a second-degree felony and could face jail time.

The Westchester County District Court said that tagging someone on Facebook and causing the victim to receive a notice could be considered a violation of a protection order. Therefore, it could be considered an act of defiance of the court's decision and could result in criminal charges.

In 2014, a lawsuit was filed against a man who repeatedly posted threatening messages on a victim’s wall. He was later convicted of harassment and intimidation.

The above incidents show that intentional harassment and threats with rude words on social networks can be prosecuted criminally, just like harassment by phone or text message. As social networking sites become more and more popular, there will be a need for appropriate laws to control and handle them.

According to Tri Thuc Tre