By Lim Yee Hung

AN ANCIENT Chinese adage goes, 'Even four horses cannot retrieve one's words after they are spoken'. It holds true especiallly in the digital world, where everything one uploads - be they words, pictures or videos - is stored, cached and replicated, almost with impunity.

Celebrity blogger Xiaxue learnt this the hard way: her rival, Dawn Yang, threatened to sue her after she published a critical blog post calling Dawn a 'consistent and persistent liar' and insinuating that her breasts were 'fake'. Although she has deleted the offending post on her blog, it has been reproduced on several other blogs.

Recently, I chanced upon a video of a friend on Facebook. It showed him drunk, dancing and making obscene jokes. Although it was perfectly legal, the video could have landed him in hot soup as he is an army regular and his Facebook 'friends' included his superiors and subordinates, which meant they had access to his videos.

Today, a simple Google search of a person's name can turn up everything from his school records to his blog and Facebook profile. A 2004 Wall Street Journal article detailed how recruiters frequently use Google to screen applicants and how Google searches have become a land mine for job hunters.

'It's almost like a shadow resume you haven't exactly created but it's following you around,' said Pam Dixon, director of World Privacy Forum, which studies workplace privacy issues, in a report. She also noted that 'most Google damage is self-inflicted'.

So before you put up anything on the Web, ask yourself these questions:

Is it illegal?

Even a petty comment can land you in trouble, if it is made on racial, religious or political grounds. In 2005, two bloggers were charged under the Sedition Act with posting racist comments on the Internet. A year later, another blogger was let off with a stern warning by the police for posting cartoons of Jesus Christ on the Internet.

So if what you are uploading on the Web has a tendency to 'excite disaffection against the Government' or 'raise discontent or disaffection among the citizens of Singapore', you may be breaking the law under the Sedition Act.

Is it in line with your job?

Writing on your blog about how careless you are is perfectly okay - unless you are a surgeon. People are expected to project a professional image as a member of their occupation, especially image- conscious ones like politicians and policemen. Make sure that the information you upload does not go against that image, or your career may suffer.

Can it be misconstrued?

Check for any unintended connotations before uploading anything. There may be no ill-intent but if your photos or writings can be misconstrued in any way, chances are they will be.

Malaysia's deputy education minister Wee Ka Siong is involved in a RM10 million (S$4.2 million) lawsuit for a remark he made against Anwar Ibrahim during the Machap by-election campaign in April last year, implying that Mr Anwar was involved in anti-Islamic activities, had no morals and was not fit for office.

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This article was first published in The Straits Times on September 11, 2008.