Is Big Brother Your Facebook Friend?

A 19-year-old student at the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse was ticketed recently for underage drinking and ordered to pay a $227 fine. The problem is, the evidence of his misconduct seems to consist of some photos he posted to Facebook.

Bauer, a popular kid who has almost 400 Facebook friends, recently received a friend request from someone he allegedly didn't know, "a good-looking girl." He accepted, something he says he doesn't normally do. He thinks that was what led him shortly thereafter to accept an invitation to visit the La Crosse police station.

At the police station Bauer was shown pictures of himself and his friends drinking beer at home -- photos Bauer himself had posted on Facebook. The police report states that Bauer admitted to drinking, which the young man denies. However, he did plead no contest to the fine.

According to a report in the La Crosse Tribune on November 19, at least eight people claim to have been cited for underage drinking after posting incriminating photos of themselves on social networking sites. According to Al Iverson, a La Crosse police officer, social networking sites are among the tools law enforcement is now using to find underage drinkers.

Is Big Brother Your Facebook Friend?

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