22 Amy Scheinerman

feathers that cannot be gathered in, our posts are accessible for a long time. Rambam hyperbolically warns that we are forbidden to live in the neighborhood of people who traffic in evil speech.” The Internet has reduced the entire globe to one electronic neighborhood. There are no borders or fences, and distances have been reduced to zero.

Fourth, there are times when it is appropriate to pass along information about someone. Here, proper intention is crucial, as is the commitment to prevent harm to others. Consider the example of Rachel who is applying to be a counselor to alcoholics, and has posted pictures of her drunk on facebook. May Rebekah, stumbling across these photos, make them known to Rachel’s potential employer? First, because Rachel posted the photos to her facebook page, Rebekah would not be committing /ashon hara because Rachel made the photographs available. However, we might ask if this is rechilut. If Rebekah— with proper intent— shows the photographs to the potential employer, there is no rechilut. The Chofetz Chaim tells us that Reuven may convey negative information about Shimon to Yaakov if it would save Yaakov from a disastrous business deal with Shimon that would have caused him financial loss.”’Our example is not, strictly speaking, a case of monetary risk in a business venture. In fact, perhaps more is at risk— the welfare of recovering alcoholics — and Rebekah’s intention is to protect them from someone who misrepresents himself. Similarly, if we possess reliable information about a pedophile living in the neighborhood, we may convey it to neighbors with children living at home? So too, if we have reliable evidence that a doctor is incompetent, we may, on a need-to-know basis, inform others. But may we post our suspicions or an account of our experience with the physician on an Internet site that rates doctors? The Chofetz Chaim offers us five safeguards to insure that what we share is done with proper intent and in an appropriate manner:

1. Don’t make a knee-jerk negative judgment. Investigate thoroughly. 2. Do not exaggerate the information.