Wednesday, April 2, 2008 8:49 PM CDT
Mattoon teens charged after creating fake MySpace page for teacher
By NATHANIEL WEST, Staff Writer
nwest@jg-tc.com
MATTOON — Three Mattoon teenagers found out what can happen when you infringe on someone else’s personal space: MySpace, that is.
Following an investigation, Mattoon police issued disorderly conduct citations to three Mattoon High School students who allegedly created a MySpace account that falsely claimed to belong to an MHS teacher. The page also contained derogatory statements, according to police.
“They made it look like it was real, like (the teacher) had set it up,” said Mattoon Det. Jeremy Clark. “They falsely portrayed him in personal aspects of his life.
“It was a revenge sort of thing. They didn’t like him as a teacher.”
While the ramifications this time were minimal, Mattoon police officials said the incident serves as a reminder to observe yet another precaution on the growing list of Internet dos and don’ts.
Many young people already are aware of the dangers of posting too much personal information on Web sites like MySpace and Facebook. Now, officials recommend everyone — not just tech-savvy kids and young adults — regularly scour the Internet to locate falsified Web sites that could cause them harm or defamation.
This amateur sleuthing can be accomplished by entering your name and other relevant keywords on search engines such as Google or Yahoo!, and in search functions on sites like MySpace and Facebook, said police Chief David Griffith.
If unwanted information is discovered on a Web site, the administrators of those sites should be contacted. Police are willing to provide assistance in this, Griffith said.
The incident involving the MHS teacher was brought to police in mid-January, although the three male students allegedly posted the information last fall, Clark said. “I think it started as a joke and it snowballed from there,” he said.
Police called MySpace officials, who immediately removed the false page once they confirmed the teacher’s identity, said Clark.
Police tracked down the three teenage boys through good old fashioned interviews, not by any high-tech means, Clark said.
But police issued a stern warning to others who are thinking about creating MySpace or Facebook accounts that purport to belong to someone else: Because Internet offenders always leave behind digital fingerprints, you will get caught, said Griffith.
“Odds are, if you post something on the Internet, it can be traced back to you,” he said.
Griffith noted that police take into account the apparent intentions of those who would fake someone else’s identity on the Internet. In this particular case, “They’re not cyber-terrorists,” Griffith said.
“They’re just abusing the technology.”
Contact Nathaniel West at nwest@jg-tc.com or 238-6860.
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krusayda wrote on Apr 8, 2008 8:57 AM: