This is stupid.

If they have failed to respond to letters via mail, and email also - then chances are they will ignore docs by Facebook with the same enthusiasm.

Why not just employ a private dic to go seek them out?

So they were served via email, not via Facebook.

Of course that is ridiculous in itself because you cannot guarantee that they will read it. It's no better than posting something. I thought the whole point of serving legal papers was it had to be done in person to ensure the receiving party actually got them.

I wonder if Jacqui will propose nationalising facebook at some point. Legislatively mandated facebook accounts would go well with the non-Register readers, most likely

This is just retarded.... if these folks risk having their house repossessed, the bank obviously knows where they live and could be served papers there. >.< This is just some kind of stupid media ploy.

Isn't that somewhat redundant ?

Who actually has or uses a facebook account.

Um, in the UK? Approximately 13,244,300 have one. Sorry, I can't tell you how many use it. Judging by my friends and colleagues, many. There's a reason it comes up in the media a lot, Jamie - it's massively popular. Perhaps you hadn't noticed, it is most useful if you have friends...

The spammers have been looking for new ways to get someone to fall for their tricks. Now they can send emails pretending to be legal documents, and the recipient *has* to open the attachment or risk getting done in court.

What a bloody marvellous idea mate.

Did someone export all the brains from Oz or something?

"it's massively popular. Perhaps you hadn't noticed, it is most useful if you have friends..."

I think you will find it's most useful when you have a null or negative number of friends, but tons of "Lol wassap buddies check that on Utube ROFL", erm, acquaintances.

"The spammers [...] can send emails pretending to be legal documents"

They already do, and it works (at least in the US). Reported here some time ago, if memory serves.

"served legal docs via Facebook"

Via e-mail, you shirley mean? Similarly, in the article you refer to, the bill-dodgers were found because they were friends with one of the waitresses, who gave their names. I'm posting this comment via FaceBook right now, how neat! (you see, I was talking about FB with a friend earlier this year, and it made me think I had to check El Reg from time to time, hence we can legitimately say I'm posting through FB now. Or not?)

"They already do, and it works (at least in the US)."

Sure, all sorts of tricks work. There's always someone gullible enough.

But now anyone in Oz is stuck. Even if they know very well that it could be spam with a trojan attachment they *still* have to open it in case it's genuine, because the courts really are brain-dead enough to actually use email to serve documents.

And of course the real documents are going to get spam-trapped and never seen, but the recipients will still be legally liable. So the only option is to switch off the spam-trap, just in case someone is sending you legal papers.

Complete, total gibbering lunacy.

Perhaps you hadn't noticed, it is most useful if you have friends...

Yup, that or no brain or personality of your own.

"they *still* have to open it in case it's genuine" [...] "the recipients will still be legally liable."

I don't know about Oz, but in many countries you are liable only if it can be proven that you actually read the document. Signature on a receipt is widely used as a proof you read it, though if you sign the receipt but send the letter back (unopened) you're presumably still in the clear. I doubt that any tribunal would take the delivery of an e-mail in a mailbox as a proof that the attachment was read, but just to be sure it's probably a good idea to read it (or not) and quietly bounce it afterwards.

The real idiotic thing is that the judge recommended the documents be served by e-mail so that not everyone could see them. What a pathetic joke.

By inference:

In Oz it's illegal to lie on Facebook.

In Oz, it's illegal to not check your email.

In Oz, it's illegal for you to turn off your internet connection.

In Oz, it's illegal to have a computer breakdown.

In Oz, it's illegal for any router on the internet to malfunction.

I could go on and on...

Yes, if you are friends with sheep who have big egos.

Congratulations, does it make you feel young and hip or something? Yes, congratulations, you are in the club that like 80% of the UK is in. (Half of whom probably only signed up to view one single photo/profile one day, then never 'used' the account again)

Why exactly is being a member something to be proud of ? You upload some photos, you leave a comment. People like you who manage to spend hours and days on sites like that are frankly pathetic. To boast about is just well... I can forgive you if you're 14.