How do I report a Facebook PAGE being run by an impostor?
December 4, 2015 8:31 PM Subscribe
Anyone have anything non-obvious and useful to say about how to report this page (not a profile, a PAGE) as fake? If you look at the About page, the admin acknowledges she is not bell hooks. How can I request either to have the page deleted or turned over to the bell hooks Institute (which I'm in touch with, and which would like to see this page deleted or given to them)?
bell hooks and the bell hooks Institute have not authorized the page, and would like to see it taken down or handed over to them. I can communicate directly to the Institute what needs to be done to do to get this fixed--I just need to know what to advise.
I'm NOT looking for how to report a profile, but how to report a page run by an impostor using hooks' likeness and persona without permission and despite requests to stop.
bell hooks and the bell hooks Institute have not authorized the page, and would like to see it taken down or handed over to them. I can communicate directly to the Institute what needs to be done to do to get this fixed--I just need to know what to advise.
I'm NOT looking for how to report a profile, but how to report a page run by an impostor using hooks' likeness and persona without permission and despite requests to stop.
How do I report a profile?
posted by filthy light thief at 8:53 PM on December 4, 2015
1. Click [...] on the cover photo of the profile you'd like to reportThat's the official line. I can't attest to the effectiveness of it, though.
2. Choose Report to report the account to Facebook
posted by filthy light thief at 8:53 PM on December 4, 2015
Specifically, you would select the reason about intellectual property.
posted by wnissen at 8:55 PM on December 4, 2015
posted by wnissen at 8:55 PM on December 4, 2015
The person running the page seems to make it clear that she is not bell hooks -- both in the About section and in individual posts -- so Facebook might not consider this page a "fake" in the same way you do. Here are the terms for creating a public figure page:
I. General
A. A Page for a brand, entity (place or organization), or public figure may be administered only by an authorized representative of that brand, entity (place or organization) or public figure (an “official Page”).
B. Any user may create a Page to express support for or interest in a brand, entity (place or organization), or public figure, provided that it does not mislead others into thinking it is an official Page, or violate someone's rights. If your Page is not the official Page of a brand, entity (place or organization) or public figure, you must:
i. not speak in the voice of, or post content as though it was coming from, the authorized representative of the Page’s subject matter; and
ii. make clear that the Page is not the official Page of the brand, entity (place or organization) or public figure.
posted by neroli at 9:18 PM on December 4, 2015 [5 favorites]
I. General
A. A Page for a brand, entity (place or organization), or public figure may be administered only by an authorized representative of that brand, entity (place or organization) or public figure (an “official Page”).
B. Any user may create a Page to express support for or interest in a brand, entity (place or organization), or public figure, provided that it does not mislead others into thinking it is an official Page, or violate someone's rights. If your Page is not the official Page of a brand, entity (place or organization) or public figure, you must:
i. not speak in the voice of, or post content as though it was coming from, the authorized representative of the Page’s subject matter; and
ii. make clear that the Page is not the official Page of the brand, entity (place or organization) or public figure.
posted by neroli at 9:18 PM on December 4, 2015 [5 favorites]
> Have you just asked her to transfer control?
Came here to ask the same thing. The owner of the page identifies themselves as a fan of bell hooks who created a fan page because none existed, so hopefully if they're approached by her Institute directly they'll happily hand over the reins. Even if you have some reason to think they wouldn't want to, it can't hurt to have documentation that you tried (so send any messages through Facebook rather than via email or some other outside service.)
posted by contraption at 12:19 AM on December 5, 2015 [1 favorite]
Came here to ask the same thing. The owner of the page identifies themselves as a fan of bell hooks who created a fan page because none existed, so hopefully if they're approached by her Institute directly they'll happily hand over the reins. Even if you have some reason to think they wouldn't want to, it can't hurt to have documentation that you tried (so send any messages through Facebook rather than via email or some other outside service.)
posted by contraption at 12:19 AM on December 5, 2015 [1 favorite]
Or contact the author to change the title of the page to "bell hooks fanclub" or something?
posted by transient at 1:21 AM on December 5, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by transient at 1:21 AM on December 5, 2015 [2 favorites]
Yes, taking over a fan page through an official action is unnecessary and actually alienating. If bell hooks wants to have an official fan site, maybe she or institute could ask the FB fan to run it. But voluntary fan labour in an official capacity could be seen as unprogressive, so ymmv.
posted by parmanparman at 3:58 AM on December 5, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by parmanparman at 3:58 AM on December 5, 2015 [3 favorites]
I ran into a similar sort of situation with a page for a friend that was a media personality. I had been her Internet Person for some time, having worked on her blog and managed her fanmail.
Someone had made a Facebook page in her name, a fan page like the one you're talking about, but because it wasn't entirely clear it was a fan-created page there was a lot of communication that should have come to her (interview requests, old friends, etc) that were getting lost in this unofficial fanpage.
So I got in touch with the person who ran the page and told him the situation. I think I also posted on the page that hey y'all none of the messages are reaching my friend fyi. He was actually pretty happy that I contacted, IIRC, and let me be maintainer.
Maybe you can work that out with the person who made the page?
posted by divabat at 5:30 AM on December 5, 2015
Someone had made a Facebook page in her name, a fan page like the one you're talking about, but because it wasn't entirely clear it was a fan-created page there was a lot of communication that should have come to her (interview requests, old friends, etc) that were getting lost in this unofficial fanpage.
So I got in touch with the person who ran the page and told him the situation. I think I also posted on the page that hey y'all none of the messages are reaching my friend fyi. He was actually pretty happy that I contacted, IIRC, and let me be maintainer.
Maybe you can work that out with the person who made the page?
posted by divabat at 5:30 AM on December 5, 2015
Contact the bell hooks Institute and leave it up to them. There's no need to go vigilante on this; after all, the Institute itself may not care, the page is not pretending to be authorized, and (unless you're leaving out something important), there's really no skin off your back.
posted by Joseph Gurl at 9:40 PM on December 5, 2015
posted by Joseph Gurl at 9:40 PM on December 5, 2015
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by primethyme at 8:52 PM on December 4, 2015 [3 favorites]