Robert Scoble was booted off had his account disabled at Facebook.

That’s ‘old’ news (well, 24 hours is an eternity on the blogosphere, right?)

Why did it happen?

From an email that Scoble posted on his blog, it appears Facebook considered what he did (run a script to scrape some data) a violation of its ‘Terms of Service’.

That opened an impassioned debate and discussion across blogs and social networks. It’s because Scoble has a huge following.

Yes, Robert Scoble is a blogger with influence.

He is tech-savvy enough to know what he did was not explicitly allowed under Facebook’s ToS. Indeed, he seems to acknowledge that he’s trying to push against the walls.

In a comment, he said:

“That’s part of my job to see how good their terms of service are, and how well enforced they are.”

In a later comment, he tries to justify the action by asking:

“How about this? Can I write down your email address and put it in my address book?… So, why am I allowed to write down your phone number or email address, but my computer can’t take it out of Facebook and put it into Outlook for me? Or another program or service I’m using?”

Ethical conundrums interest me. They also leave me flummoxed at times.

Let’s take 2 familiar examples.

Example #1:

You go to a library. There’s a reference section. It has books you are NOT permitted to borrow and take home.

Is it ok to try and ‘borrow’ them when the librarian isn’t looking? To say you’re ‘testing the security features of your library’?

And then rationalize it by saying: “Well, I can read the book there at the library, so why can’t I take it home?”

Example #2:

You have visiting cards in your desk at home. Cards you willingly hand out to contacts and business prospects. One day, you leave home forgetting to lock the front door.

Is it acceptable for anyone you might have given your calling card to in a social or business setting to now walk into your home, pick up a card and leave?

Hey, they just might be testing your home security features, or trying to teach you a lesson that it’s unwise to leave home with your door unlocked (that’s bad practice in a busy city, and it is actually helpful to teach you that lesson in such non-threatening, non-dangerous fashion).

Now my question…

Is it RIGHT?

More so, is it right for a person with INFLUENCE to do such a thing?

Why would the rules be different online?

Facebook has policies. I’m not saying they are right. Yet, you agree to their ToS when you join the service.

And when YOU feel it isn’t suitable to the way you think, feel and act, you blatantly try and violate said ToS - and justify it by fallacious logic.

Ethical?

Or not?

Influence thrives on integrity. Integrity is what happens when NO ONE is watching.

It has nothing to do with ‘getting caught’. It has everything to do with the way you act.

“Ends justify the means” is one way of looking at it (more about ‘teleological ethical theory‘ here).

But influence carries greater responsibility. You are in the goldfish bowl - and hordes of others are peering in at you. Taking direction from what you do.

Including when you KNOWINGLY break a ToS.

And when you justify it with spurious reasoning.

Robert Scoble just lost a little bit of his influence - on me.

How about you?