Camrose, Alberta — Local residents are shocked and minus one fuzzy feline after four boys aged 13 to 15 broke into a home over the holidays and microwaved a cat to death, only to find out that the story had spread on Facebook. The boys, who cannot be named under local laws, allegedly broke and entered into a family’s home that was on vacation. According to the Edmonton Journal, a neighbor reported that the suspects vandalized the home, stole several items and scrawled in felt pen on kitchen cabinets, “Nice cat, look in the microwave.”
Aside from the horrible death that this poor cat had to endure, this story raises issues that relate to legal repercussions for minors and to Internet privacy. Under the child protection act, the names of criminal suspects who are under the legal age cannot be released. Because the news of this story was widely spread online, including angry feedback, Police were forced to shut down local web sites that had breached Canadian privacy protections.
There are lessons to be learned from this story:
- Cruelty to animals is never a funny, admirable, or bright idea. Especially not using a microwave.
- In the right context, the cops can (and may well) shut down your online profile or website, given just cause to do so.
- Protecting your privacy is a good idea. Accepting the fact that anything you do or say may end up online and open to public attention (provided that you associate with folks who publish and/or share digital content with their friends), is a good reminder to us all.
It would seem that the boys in this story were not aware of these three facts. Hopefully, would-be vandals and the rest of us can learn from their mistakes.