<p>S was in a private chat on FB with 3 friends. During the chat he posted a photo he’d taken at his friend’s house. (It was a photo of a photo on the refrigerator–several elderly people were in the photo.) The photo was not tagged, and no comments were made about the photo. S did not know who the people were in the photo. Nothing offensive in the chat.</p>
<p>Two days later, S’s friend’s stepmother received a call from her brother who works for a federal agency (don’t want to spell out which one), referencing the title of the chat/things said in the chat–and he was angry/suspicious, wanting to know why her stepson/friends posted a photo of THIER relatives. So the stepmom got mad her stepson, my S, etc., and this is having a ripple effect in their family relationships. S did apologize to his friend. (I think S should apologize the the stepmom for taking/posting the photo, even though this was just a random, thoughtless act–he thought the photo was “amusing” --I told him he should NEVER look at, touch, photograph or show any interest in any object he sees in someone’s house because this is bad manners and could be perceived as invasion of privacy–lesson learned.)
Now S and friends are creeped out that their privacy has been invaded–wondering how/why this man got into their chat, and how long he may have been looking at their stuff. The stepmom’s brother lives many states away and hasn’t visited her home. S’s friend barely knows the stepmom–they’ve only been married a year, and he usually stays with his own mom. I just assumed that since this man works for a particular agency, he could get access to anything–but why stalk his sister’s stepson? (who is a good kid, excellent student, never been into anything questionable. . .)<br>
Any FB savvy people know how this could happen? Any advice on what they should do now? (Besides stay off FB. . .)</p>
<p>Yikes - that is creepy. I certainly don’t understand private facebook chats, but is it possible that the uncle was a facebook “friend” of your S’s friend and that the friend has allowed a more lenient access to his account and so has your son?</p>
<p>When my kids were younger and facebook was a new thing, I remember seeing an inappropriate comment/photo from a classmate. I simply clicked on the classmates name and got right into his pix and comments. But if Uncle is digging around on the facebook accounts of college age kids…well that is just weird. Make sure your S changes his privacy status.</p>
<p>I would not expect that, even with no privacy settings, a facebook friend would be able to read my chat. (I don’t actually use facebook chat, but I think it’s supposed to be between the people chatting. I wouldn’t assume that my google contacts can read my gchats either).</p>
<p>I’d assume this has something to do with facebook releasing/selling information and possibly the federal agency. I’d expect that that kind of thing should be on a need-to-know basis, though, which I don’t think this was – still very bizarre.</p>
<p>The photo didn’t end up posted in anyone’s photo albums or anything did it?</p>
<p>Something sounds really weird here. Chat can’t be seen by anyone other than those in the chat. The only way this could have happened is if the relative hacked the kid’s fb and scrolled through the chat. </p>
<p>This also has me thinking that if the relative does have access to this stuff because maybe he’s in a position at a federal agency where he gets access to things like tapped phone lines and internet chats – I think you’re supposed to ignore the stuff that doesn’t relate to security or the specific crime you’re investigating or whatever. Maybe there is a federal agency that spends time randomly looking at pictures sent through facebook chats and investigating that detail building bombs and drug cartels for example, but it would be highly unprofessional for that person to bring information obtained that way into their family life.</p>
<p>That does sound very creepy. I did not think anyone could see my private chats other than me and the person chatting. I would be inclined to ask the stepmom to ask the stepuncle how he and his agency to be snooping in their private facebook accounts. Sounds like someone is way overstepping their legal bounds by using a privileged position to snoop into family business where they have no right to be. His a$$ should be fired.</p>
<p>I would double check all the privacy settings & double check with friends as well, because I swear, that some settings face book changes to public with updates, so you have to keep on top of them.</p>
<p>I can see messages frim one friend to another, but I dont do chat usually.
I also have most of my setting on " myself" only.</p>
<p>It may be with four people " chatting" that it would only take one of them with settings on public, for it to be seen.</p>
<p>Unless the chat involved one or more person’s being suspected of a crime and they had a warrant or some weird exception to that(i.e. Terrorist?) that’s within the domain of the agency’s business, what that uncle did is highly unethical at best and most likely illegal. </p>
<p>Agree with those saying this uncle’s likely misuse of agency resources should be investigated and if guilty, not only fired…but seriously punished as this is a serious breach of the chat participants’ constitutional rights.</p>
<p>The step uncle sounds like someone I do not want in any sort of position that gives the power to snoop on people’s lives. I am probably a bit less worried about privacy rights than some (don’t give a rats whatsit about child molester’s rights or terrorists rights). But people given that sort of power need to treat it with enormous respect. Snooping on your own family, let alone your step family through marriage, and the friends of the steps - completely unacceptable abuse of power.</p>
<p>Well, wow, weird. I guess this is a cautionary tail, a reminder once again, that nothing done over the net is really private. It is fortunate, really, that the kids are learning this through posting something relatively innocuous. I don’t understand the brouhaha about the pic. Is there something about the picture that I am not understanding?</p>
<p>Before all the conspiracy theories run rampant, let’s consider the most likely scenario: The step-mother has the kid’s password and was snooping around his Facebook account. She came across the picture of her relatives and was offended by the kids making fun of the picture. She makes up the story about the uncle to scare the bejeezus out of the kids. Problem solved.</p>
<p>That is some kind of creepy helicopetering step-uncle. Actually, could it be the step-mother? Perhaps she was using a computer your son’s friend had left himself logged in on and she was watching the conversation. Since she couldn’t admit that, but was angry about what she saw, she said her brother who works for the government discovered it. I know I’m reaching but the original story is such a head-shaker.</p>
<p>Even a more likely scenario, the kid closed the browser without signing out of Facebook. Then whoever reopens the browser can get right into his Facebook account by opening Facebook. Then they see the log of the entire chat and whatever was said about the picture. And as someone posted, they can blame it on the step-uncle who works for the unnamed agency…</p>