We’ve all been warned by career advisers about how we use Facebook. They give you advice on who to friend, what to say, and what pictures to post. We’ve also heard of people being let-go because of things they said of the popular social networking site, so this story should come as no surprise.
Insurance companies are notorious for hiring Private Investigators to snap shots to help them build a case when fraud is suspected, so why not do a quick search of Facebook/ Flicker and cut out the middle-man?
A year and a half ago, Nathalie Blanchard, of Quebec, Canada was diagnosed with severe depression. She has been on long-term leave from her employer, IBM, and has been receiving monthly payments from her insurer, Manulife.
This all came to an abrupt end when Manulife checked out some pictures on her Facebook profile which show her at a bar,having fun on her birthday party, and soaking up some sun on Vacation.
I guess Nathalie is not in the habit of posting pictures of her in a dark-room with a shot-gun pointed at her head!
So, basically the insurance company has not disputed her illness but rather they don’t want her having some fun while recovering from depression.
A quote from her lawyer, Tom Lavin: “I don’t think for judging a mental state that Facebook is a very good tool,” he said.
Who needs psychiatrists when you’ve got Facebook?
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