Former Yahoo employee alleges he was harassed, threatened and lost job because of online interaction

[alp227]

LIVERMORE -- Ross Dmochowski lives online, where he engages in sometimes serious, sometimes juvenile, sometimes offensive political discussions about President Barack Obama.

But Dmochowski, a 42-year-old tech professional, was unprepared when his online chats resulted in a bomb threat under his name that brought FBI agents to his Livermore home -- and contributed to his getting fired in September from his $120,000-a-year job at Yahoo.

While online harassment is hardly rare, what's surprising about Dmochowski's experience is that even a savvy denizen of the Web world can underestimate how Internet conversations can quickly upend life both at home and at work.

"Online interactions that turn sour can be life-changing," said Eric Goldman, a Santa Clara University law professor and director of the university's High Tech Law Institute. "Negative online encounters can happen to anyone, just like the most skilled professional driver can have a car accident on the roads due to other people's driving mistakes."

full: http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_25505118/former-yahoo-employee-alleges-he-was-harassed-threatened

[seabeyond]

1. yes. we have seen it with our girls that have comitted suicide while their rape is veiwed

and enjoyed on line.

interesting story. thank you alp. hit so many lives today. the good and bad of internet.

[REP]

2. It sounds as though he violated company policy

Yahoo does not prohibit employees from using social media, Meron said, declining to specifically discuss his firing. She instead referred a reporter to Yahoo policy language that states: "If you decide to post complaints or criticism, avoid using statements, photographs, video or audio that reasonably could be viewed as malicious, obscene, threatening or intimidating, that might constitute harassment or bullying, or are slanderous or detrimental to Yahoo."

He was using a company laptop, using his real name, using homophobic slurs and things like "your mother is a hillbilly whore," says he was "standing his ground" on an internet chat board for fuck's sake ... he sounds like an asshole and that the firing was justified.