Facebook Legallity Question

StickSkills · 02-08-2011, 08:40 PM

Is creating a parody facebook of someone like a previous teacher illegal, especially a teacher that you know is well respected and liked.

The reason I ask is because last night I made one of a teacher that I had back in HS. I did it partly because I know so many friends in college have stated that they really miss some of her sayings and I thought it might be a fun way to kind of bring back some of that spunk to people's lives. (Note: I never said anything mean or rude, simply her common sayings about studying.)

Today some people text me and said she was upset, but I didn't think much of it as, well, it's just a parody account. I don't think she even uses facebook. However, one of the other teachers at the school told an alumni that "its a student pretending to be her. I know she contacted the State Police about it."

I've seen so many parody accounts on Twitter that go untouched. I personally think that she hasn't actually contacted the state police and that it was just a scare tactic to bring it down. It worked though, as I brought it down seeing how if she is so upset about the account that she would threaten that.

Again, however, I don't believe that any charges or such can be pressed with all of the parody twitter accounts that exist too and the fact that I never put anything slanderous. I only put stuff that she has said before in class.

Thoughts?

Brent · 02-08-2011, 08:43 PM

why wouldnt you just make a group? a fake profile can get her in some legal ****.

tjsunstein · 02-08-2011, 08:46 PM

Delete it.

LonghornsLegend · 02-08-2011, 08:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tjsunstein

Delete it.

Lol yep. Fast. Facebook can get you into alot more trouble then you think, even if it was in a joking manner. I just wouldn't touch it.

TitansCJftw · 02-08-2011, 08:50 PM

Make 8 more

tjsunstein · 02-08-2011, 08:52 PM

I would actually send her an e-mail and squash it with and apology. That is, if you truly didn't say anything slanderous.

OSUGiants17 · 02-08-2011, 08:52 PM

a kid did this for the school principle and cause HUGE legal issues, delete it and instead make a group called the "Ms. Soandso Appreciation Group" and reminisce about her there

MetSox17 · 02-08-2011, 08:59 PM

Regardless of what you post, you don't have the legal right (without her consent) to say you're her. Goes without saying, should you ever say anything negative or demeaning, you can not only be arrested but sued for libel.

proshoota25 · 02-08-2011, 09:18 PM

yeah my friend did that of a teacher and there were many, many legal issues he had to deal with lol

StickSkills · 02-08-2011, 09:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tjsunstein

I would actually send her an e-mail and squash it with and apology. That is, if you truly didn't say anything slanderous.

I went ahead and did this.

Shane P. Hallam · 02-08-2011, 09:29 PM

I made a fake facebook of Steely McBeam. He has not pressed charges.

CashmoneyDrew · 02-08-2011, 09:30 PM

One of my friends created a fake Bud Adams account and that mofo still hasn't added me as a friend.

ElectricEye · 02-08-2011, 09:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shane P. Hallam

I made a fake facebook of Steely McBeam. He has not pressed charges.

MichaelJordanEberle (sabf) · 02-08-2011, 10:26 PM

I made a fake facebook of Chad Warden so a friend of mine could list him as her boyfriend. I would go on there and troll people so hard. I'm pretty sure one of her friends would have reached through the keyboard to kill me if he had have known. It was pretty epic.

For people who don't know:

ElectricEye · 02-08-2011, 10:28 PM

Of course I know who Chad Warden is. He's on DAT Triple playin Balla ass gaems.

MichaelJordanEberle (sabf) · 02-08-2011, 10:30 PM

**** gears of war... more like TEARS of war.

ElectricEye · 02-08-2011, 10:33 PM

Devil May Cry...man let that ***** cry. On the Tripple we got gaems like DEVIL MAY RUN UP ON A *****.

Also;

Certified Ballin

wordofi · 02-08-2011, 10:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by StickSkills

Is creating a parody facebook of someone like a previous teacher illegal, especially a teacher that you know is well respected and liked.

The reason I ask is because last night I made one of a teacher that I had back in HS. I did it partly because I know so many friends in college have stated that they really miss some of her sayings and I thought it might be a fun way to kind of bring back some of that spunk to people's lives. (Note: I never said anything mean or rude, simply her common sayings about studying.)

Today some people text me and said she was upset, but I didn't think much of it as, well, it's just a parody account. I don't think she even uses facebook. However, one of the other teachers at the school told an alumni that "its a student pretending to be her. I know she contacted the State Police about it."

I've seen so many parody accounts on Twitter that go untouched. I personally think that she hasn't actually contacted the state police and that it was just a scare tactic to bring it down. It worked though, as I brought it down seeing how if she is so upset about the account that she would threaten that.

Again, however, I don't believe that any charges or such can be pressed with all of the parody twitter accounts that exist too and the fact that I never put anything slanderous. I only put stuff that she has said before in class.

Thoughts?

I was watching something like this on Dr. Phil. Don't do it.

StripedWalrus · 02-09-2011, 12:33 AM

I think the real question is being avoided here.

Is she super hot?

njx9 · 02-09-2011, 08:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TitansCJftw

Make 8 more

this should've gotten more consideration as an option.

fwiw, though i'm not a lawyer, i believe a parody falls under fair use/is legal as long as the 'audience' can reasonably tell that it's a parody. for instance, i can use the daily show's intro music if it's clear that the entire production is a parody. i cannot use their intro music to create my own comedy news show. the same: i could use someone else's 'name' on facebook if it was clear to the audience that i was not that person.

bsaza2358 · 02-09-2011, 08:39 AM

This is just a matter of judgment. The original poster showed little of this when he created this page. It's nice to be nostalgic and show the teacher you appreciate him/her. Impersonating and creating a non-fan page is just not a good idea. Teachers need to have a certain reputation in order to do their jobs. Anything you might be able to do to undermine that reputation does them a disservice. This goes for anyone in a position of authority.

Even creating an unsolicited fan page can undermine the teacher's authenticity and authority. It's generally not a good idea to put him/her in that position, especially on an open source sharing website. I would take the page down immediately and think more in the future about potential impacts.

CJSchneider · 02-09-2011, 09:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bsaza2358

Teachers need to have a certain reputation in order to do their jobs. Anything you might be able to do to undermine that reputation does them a disservice. This goes for anyone in a position of authority.

I'm going to agree with and thank you for this statement.
As far as the OP goes, a sincere apology (hand written, not an e-mail) would really reveal your good character and more than likely, patch everything over.

Borat · 02-09-2011, 01:17 PM

Leave the poor lady alone. Make fun of some tards like normal people do. Sheesh.

Sportsfan486 · 02-09-2011, 01:33 PM

It's already been stated but yes, you can get in serious trouble for this. Presuming you used her name and photo, you can be litigated for a number of offenses, including felonies.
Hopefully she isn't stuck up because even if you took it down and apologized you can still be in trouble.