Bartolo Fuentes, a well known Honduran activist and journalist is saying someone used a fabricated Fakeboo...er...Facebook account to use his identity and photograph to swell the famous caravan’s numbers ahead of its departure from Honduras and — surprise, surprise… Facebook has been no help in assisting him at getting to the identity of the hijackers.
“Just days before the migrant caravan set out from Honduras, an imposter stole the identity of a prominent early supporter on Facebook, using a fake account to try to boost the caravan’s numbers.
Bartolo Fuentes, a Honduran activist, journalist, and former lawmaker told BuzzFeed News that someone used the phony account to send Facebook messages falsely claiming that established migrant groups were organizing the effort. News like that — coming from a well-known public figure in Honduras, such as Fuentes — could go a long way to convincing people to join the group of migrants traveling to the US…
In response to a query from BuzzFeed News, a Facebook spokesperson said the phony account “was removed for violating [the company’s] misrepresentation policy,” but declined to share any further information, such as what country it originated from, what email address was used to open it, or any other details that might reveal who was behind it. Facebook added that, barring a subpoena or request from law enforcement, it does not share such information out of respect for the privacy of its users.
Fuentes said he believes it’s important to find out who was behind the rogue account — but hasn’t gotten any answers from Facebook. “Who knows how many messages could have been sent and who received them?”
Fuentes’ organization, Pueblo Sin Fronteras (People Without Borders) has, in the past, organized smaller groups of refuge seekers, but Bartolo states he had no hand in forming this last one so close to the mid term elections.
Which begs the question — who would profit from stealing his identity to promote this one. And did they play any part in propagating the hysteria spread by right wing media outlets that helped to fuel the type of hatred that culminated in Pittsburgh Synagogue shooter Robert Bowers attack right before the mid-terms?
Fuentes would like some help getting answers…
“It’s important for me to find out who was behind it,” said Fuentes
C’mon Facebook, is your priority really to protect the identity of those who hijack your real users’ identities to promote ethnic strife and hatred?
That’s one hell of a mission statement.