Fake Facebook Profile Lands Moroccan Man 3-Year Jail Sentence
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Written By Sepideh Saremi | February 26, 2008 | Share This
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Moroccan computer engineer Fouad Mortada, pictured here, created a fake Facebook profile for a Moroccan prince. Fake profiles are nothing new to Facebook; do a search for any popular celebrity on the site and you’re bound to find a profile or ten.
But Moroccan courts have misinterpreted the just-for-fun profile as something malicious - impersonation and identity theft - and thus have ordered Mortada to pay a $1,000 fine and serve three years in prison. The blogosphere is up in arms, and rightfully so: the prince and Moroccan government should have gone a less litigious route in protecting the Moroccan prince’s personal brand, by asking Mortada for ownership of the profile rather than throwing him in jail.
Topics: Facebook, International, Legal Issues, Social Media |
Correct me if I am wrong, but this is always illegal. In many EU-countries this is even called a criminal act…
Correct me if I am wrong, but aren’t I a douchebag?