School Official Sues Facebook
The social-networking site may have to give up the identities of some high school jokers who impersonated a dean online
This probably seemed really funny until they heard about the court order.
A few anonymous Facebook users—most likely students—created a fake profile for the dean of Roncalli High School, a Catholic prep school in Indianapolis, then sent out messages and images from the account to other students. The profile has since been pulled down, but the dean sued Facebook to find out who created it.
Facebook refused to give the information up, but now a judge has ordered the social-networking site not to destroy data pertaining to the identities of the jokers. The dean and the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, which administers school, are currently deciding whether to pursue the case further, and ultimately hold them accountable.
This is hardly the first time something like this has happened. Ars Technica reports that students have created fake profiles that present school officials as addicts, alcoholics and more. At odds here is whether the students’ prank profile page can legally be considered defamation or an act of free speech.
[Via Ars Technica]