• The U.S. Secret Service is looking for software developers who can write programs that are capable of detecting sarcasm in postings on social media sites in order to distinguish real threats from facetious ones; some critics said that this is intrinsically a futile effort and that programs can’t effectively make the distinction.
  • On May 30, a trial judge in West Palm Beach, Fla., in an automobile negligence case said she was disturbed by evidence that jurors were tweeting and posting comments on Facebook during the trial, said she needed more information about what they had done and said there was little case law to guide her.
  • A woman in a Chicago suburb received a $50 ticket in the mail alleging that she had used a dog park without a permit. The ticket was based entirely on a Facebook posting that the woman had made, and the police immediately rescinded it, saying that they do not monitor social media in search of potential lawbreakers.
  • Yours truly provides some tips to job applicants for staying out of trouble in using social media in today’s Financial Times.