A Greenwich Village lawyer with a PhD from Harvard is about to go to jail over an online campaign to discredit an academic over the nature of the Dead Sea Scrolls. According to the New York Times, Raphael Golb created a host of online aliases so that he could champion his father's views on the origin of the scrolls. That view had been dismissed by other scholars and Golb apparently tried to change that by posting comments and engaging in intense online debate about his father's minority view and challenging established views on the scrolls' origins - albeit by creating multiple online personas. Those ephemeral Internet creations often referred to each other's postings, making it appear that there was much more support out there for Golb's father's view.
Then Golb crossed a line. He started sending out emails in a real person's name. These emails also supported his father's position. The impersonated professor understandably became upset, telling the NY Times that he feared the false emails and the attention they got could mean lost job opportunities. The target got the DA's office involved and Golb is days away from a six-month prison sentence.
The Lesson: If you don't think this case has implications for your company or organization's Internet policies, think again. Some employees may be tempted to criticize the competition in social media. Your policy should strictly forbid doing so. Warn employees that not only do underhanded tactics violate company rules, but the consequences can include jail time.
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