Keep Your Friends Close…Keep Your Children Closer

MP900431825As many of us already know – and some of us have learned the hard way – heavy emotion, technology and litigation don't mix.  Most people are probably on guard, if at all, when it comes to strangers.  They don't tend to think that they might be done in by someone very close to them who is either reacting emotionally, doesn't understand the consequences of their actions or simply means to do them harm.

The example I cite here is an 11-year-old boy who was angry with his mother and stepfather for their marijuana use.  Egged on by his biological father, the boy photographed the drugs, gave the photos to his father and his father turned them in to the police; who arrested them.

This isn't a moral discussion about whether they got what they deserved – that's an entirely separate issue.  Was the 11-year-old manipulated by his father (who may or may not have had another agenda)?  Did the child want his parents to be arrested?

Substitute the drugs with a PDA or laptop.  Do you leave your personal device booted up in the living room without a password?  What about your company device?  What's on it?  Who might have access to it?  What might they do if they're angry with you?

Just something to think about…