Securing the Clicks Network Security in the Age of Social Media

Case Study: Uncontrolled Reputation Damage

The issue of reputation management has now gone beyond mere brand stewardship and is at the very front lines of Internet privacy, litigation, and corporate security. A tragic but relevant example of privacy loss happened with the California Highway Patrol.¹ In October 2006, eighteen-year-old Nikki Catsouras died after losing control of her father’s Porsche 911 and colliding with a toll booth. The California Highway Patrol (CHP) took photographs of the gruesome accident scene, a standard practice in fatal vehicle accident procedures. Unfortunately for the Catsouras family, two CHP employees forwarded the photos internally and to friends via e-mail. The leaked photos quickly spread and were eventually ...