Detailed Explanation
Facebook or Face Off implicates an innumerable amount of laws.
We will discuss a few of them below.
1.
Do not spread bad or damaging reports about
your fellow (Leviticus 19: 17) (Deuteronomy 24: 8, 27: 24)
2.
Do not spread information that can cause
enmity and hatred between two people (Leviticus 19: 17)
3. Do not spread false rumors (Deuteronomy 22:
19)
4. Do not fan disputes (Numbers 17:5)
5. Do not insult, pain, humiliate your fellow
(Leviticus 19: 17, 25: 17)
6. Do not pain widows and orphans (Exodus 22: 21,
23)
7. Do not remind a penitent of previous sins
thereby insulting him/her (Leviticus 25: 17, Maseches Bava Metzia 58b)
8. Do not do to your friend that which you would
not want others to do to you (Leviticus 19; 18)
9. Do not bend an ear listen/read to bad or
damaging reports about your fellow (Exodus 23:1)
10. Do not believe bad/damaging reports about your
fellow (Exodus 23:1)
11. Do not create a stumbling block or
incite/cause your fellow to sin (Leviticus 19, 14)
12. Do not garner honor as a result of your
fellow's humiliation ( Deuteronomy 6:12, Yerushalmi Maseches Chagiga 2:1)
13. Do not corroborate with sinners (Exodus 23: 2)
14. Do not divulge classified information with
which your friend entrusted you. (Proverbs
11: 13, 20: 19)
15. Do not fool another individual (Leviticus 19:
11, Sma"g 154)
Application:
The millions of Facebook walls include an
immeasurable amount of gossip, damaging information, and information if made
public can cause the breakdown of relationships, marriages, partnerships, fan
disputes, humiliate people and pain widows, orphans etc.
Spreading, listening, reading, and accepting
this information is evil and is counted amongst the gravest sins. Posting and
indiscriminately viewing the forbidden information, one transgresses an
innumerable amount of such sins.
[In fact, before going on anyone's Facebook
wall or reading a news clip for that matter; one must realize that there is a
risk of transgressing many such colossal sins should one read the wrong type of
information.]
One may not remind a penitent of original bad
deeds. Take for example a sinner who had a low privacy setting. Years later
she repents and raises her setting. The consultant continues to avail the
original information to the public is guilty of gossip and insulting a penitent.
Posting the information lures downloaders to
sin. Downloading the information gives credence and is like corroborating with
a sinner. Becoming a hero over a fellow's
downfall is forbidden.
It would appear as though the consultant however
did not transgress the prohibition to disclose secrets.
"It is forbidden to disclose information that
a person told you about himself/herself in confidence." A person is the "owner"
of his or her private information. [Chofetz Chaim Hilchos Rechilus 8: 5] However,
once information is not a secret, disclosing it to others would not be a
transgression of this prohibition. One
has to understand that any information he or she posts on Facebook, even with
the highest privacy settings are not "told in confidence." As such, while the
consultant made the information more readily available, at least he is not
guilty of disclosing private information. Nevertheless, as delineated above,
the consultant transgressed numerous grave sins and anyone who downloads the
file, indiscriminately searches the pages and views the information risks
transgressing these sins as well.
If Facebook led you to buy into the fact that
no "security consultant" would act in such a manner, they could be guilty of
fooling their clients.
