Could Facebook Photos Harm Health Benefits?

Posted on December 2, 2009 in Health & Medicine, Technology

A Quebec woman claims that her sick-leave benefits were cut off because of photos posted on her Facebook page, according to the CBC broadcast network.

Natalie Blanchard, 29, was on leave from her job at IBM for the last year and half after being diagnosed with major depression. When payments recently stopped, she learned that her employer’s insurance company had found Facebook photos that deemed her ready to work. Blanchard said that the insurance company representative found pictures of her at her birthday party, on vacation and at an all-male revue.

Blanchard is filing a civil suit in Quebec Superior Court to contest the cutting off of her benefits. She does not deny the existence of the photos, but says that her health problems still exist. In a statement to CBC, insurer Manulife said “We would not deny or terminate a valid claim based on information published on sites like Facebook.”