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Forget Identity Fraud, What About Facebook Identity Fraud?
from the the-next-problem? dept
There have been plenty of stories over the past few years concerning the problems associated with identity fraud -- but with more and more of an individual's "identity" moving online, it was only a matter of time until the problems of identity fraud moved online in a more complete way (beyond just accessing the data and buying things as someone else). For example, Moroccan authorities have arrested a guy for identity fraud in taking over a Morrocan prince's identity on Facebook. The details aren't clear (at all). It could be just that this guy set up an account pretending to be the prince, or he could have accessed the prince's actual site, somehow (though, the article does suggest that the prince doesn't have much of a real presence). This raises some interesting questions. If you're simply creating a profile of a real person and acting as that person -- is that identity fraud?
Reader Comments
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Yup
If you're simply creating a profile of a real person and acting as that person -- is that identity fraud?
Isn't that the definition of identity fraud?
Although there's the possibility that it was a parody site (ala fakesteve.)
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When in Morroco
It's good to be king. And thou shalt not make fun of the king. In the US, you just wind up in Gitmo.
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OKVol, here in the US we don't have Kings although we do have someone auditioning for Queen.
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Re:
No Kings - Just Emperors ;0)
Viva el chimp!
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Yes, pretending to be someone you are not is identity fraud.
Lots of love,
M.
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Yes, pretending to be someone you are not is identity fraud. Have you put any thought into how broad this rule is? It incriminates me for doing a George Bush impression in a restuarant for my friends.
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"It incriminates me for doing a George Bush impression in a restuarant for my friends."
It should probably depend on how good the impression is, I guess.
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Have you put any thought into how broad this rule is? It incriminates me for doing a George Bush impression in a restuarant for my friends.
Well, are you actually representing yourself to be George Bush? I imagine you're not, considering your impression is designed to mock or parodize George Bush, not so that one would actually believe you are George Bush.
Fraud is a misrepresentation of fact. Identity fraud is a misrepresentation of one's identity. If you are not actually representing yourself to the world that you are in fact George Bush, then you are not committing fraud.
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Yes! You are correct sir.
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I'll bet....
... that Fake Steve Jobs has an opinion on this!
Incidentally, @ OKVol - In France, truth is not a defence to the charge of defamation of a head of state!
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Legally, a fraud is a deception made for personal gain (perhaps but not necessarily at the expense of other parties). Hence, it's not identity fraud unless you're doing it for gain. It could be applicable to this case; we don't know specifics. As far as making people believe that person X has opinion Y by pretending to be X on Facebook, there are libel and slander laws to deal with that.
There now, that wasn't hard and your resteraunt Bush impression is still good :)
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Why the hell would anyone want to represent yourself as George Bush? That's probably the last ape on this planet I would represent myself as.
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wait, am i committing identity fraud???
even if nipsey russell is dead? (long live nipsey russell)
cant be
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Hi
I like to take drugs and die.
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No!!!
Cause if...uh...identity fraud is bad, then, uh, it can't be good! And its not something people should do to me..! I mean...of me. For me, no, instead of me...
No bad stuff!
9/11!
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Cause if...uh...identity fraud is bad, then, uh, it can't be good! And its not something people should do to me..! I mean...of me. For me, no, instead of me...
No bad stuff!
9/11!
Don't quit your day job.
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Blog and Gmail Address That Were Created In My Nam
I reported it to Google and they did fuck all about it. It was pretty nightmarish, actually. The site was a parody site, and I'm all for free speech and parody -- in fact, I would've linked to the site if it had been titled AmyAlkonSucks.com or something. But, it wasn't. It was advertised on various blogs as my official site, and the asshat who did it even posted comments on my own site, driving people from my site to the fake site. I got control of it, no thanks to Google. It sucked hours and hours of my time in writing appeals to Google, etc., asking them, not to shut down the site, but to make the guy stop making it look like it was my personal site and instead call it AmyAlkonIsABitch or whatever, and move the content there.
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