Savaged+in+Cyberspace

Ryan Speer

This information came from an article by the same title in the April, 2007 issue of NeaToday magazine.

What can you do if a student impersonates you on the Web?

Bill Johnson is a teacher in Colorado. One of his high school students created a fake myspace profile of him and used to send "sexually suggestive" e-mails to several students in his school. Enraged, the students' parents contacted the school and local officials and demanded that something be done. Johnson was suspended, with pay, while the school and police conducted an investigation. The investigation tooks weeks because myspace would not release the information needed to trace the origin of the e-mails without a subpoena. Myspace, however, did immediately remove the fake profile. After several months, Johnson was cleared of all charges and allowed back into the classroom and student was arrested. The student was charged with a felony.

Assitant Principal Anna Draker from Texas is another victim of "cyber-assult". Two students her her high school created a fake myspace profile using a photo of Draker taken from the school's website. Draker's fake profile included "lewd, defamatory and obscene comments, pictures and graphics", including a statement that Draker is a lesbian.

Draker is a married mother of two and knew nothing of the fake profile until it was up for over a month and viewed by hundreds of people. Once again, a subpoena was issued, a lenghtly invesgation began and the two students were arrested; one was charged with a felony.

Draker sued the two students and their families for defamation for $2 million dollars.

High school Principal Eric Trosch from Pennsylvania is another victim. One of his students created a fake profile, again using a picture taken from the school's website. The profile stated that Trosch "uses and abuses drugs and alcohol" and "is a big fag". When students found out about the profile, so many students tried to log on to myspace at once that the school's network shut down, causing the cancellation of several classes and other "administrative headaches".

So what can you do if a student creates a fake myspace profile using your image and name?

1. Immediately notifiy myspace. Myspace has created a special form just for teachers and faculty members to report this sort of abuse, and myspace has resonded quickly to these reports. Check under myspace's FAQ page.

2. Contact local law enforcement officials. In many cases, the students involved have committed a felony. Plus, myspace won't release important information without a subpoena.

3. Inform your school administration.

4. Talk to your union...there's a good chance that the school may come after you.

THanks for bringing this up. I think that this is an issue that is on the rise in the teaching world. Somewhat related to fake myspace profiles, in my school a few years back, some students took a few pictures of teachers at a holiday gathering and then superimposed their faces on nude and provocatively posed photos and put them up on a website. These students violated the privacy of the teachers involved. Charges were pressed and although it was obvious that it wasn't done by the teachers, the students got away with a slap on the wrist. Now that myspace has become so popular with our students, this type of violation can be more easily achieved. (Patti McGibney)