Do you own your Facebook page? ย Some people would say yes but, this issue of whether or not someoneโs Facebook account is truly their own has entered the conversation surrounding American jurisprudence.
Theย former owner of Tactical Firearms in Katy, TX has been ordered to surrender his online Facebook account to the new owners of his shop and, having refused to hand over the password, is now being imprisoned.
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Jeremy Alcede doesnโt own Tactical Firearms shooting center anymore. Soon, he might not even own his Facebook page password.ยAlcede was ordered to hand over his Facebook pageโs password to the new owners when the business went bankrupt. He refused to provide it and was subsequently arrested for contempt of court on Wednesday.ยโWhen they said they wanted the Facebook, I explained to the attorney who was representing the company that there is no company Facebook page and thereโs just my personal page. And I asked her to convey that to the judge, and obviously it wasnโt conveyed,โ Alcede told KTRK-TV.ยWhile Alcede still owned the shooting center, though, he posted a number of politically related signs on the storefront, which he says helped him gain such online notoriety. Alcede is convinced thatโs why the new owners want access to his Facebook page.ยBut the storeโs new owner, John Boyert, told the outlet, โAt the point in time, he was an employee of the company and he was building that for the company regardless of who is owner or not.โยThe judge has asked an outside party to count the number of personal posts as well as the number of business posts Alcede made in order to determine who will retain ownership of the page.