Duo lodges police reports over Facebook ‘impostors’
Written by Chua Sue-Ann
Tuesday, 26 January 2010 15:53SHAH ALAM: Two Facebook users have lodged police reports over purported “impostors”, out of fear that the impersonators could post seditious comments under their names as cyber debate over the controversial Allah issue rages on.
Facebook user Patricia Lu said she lodged the police report on Monday night upon discovering on Jan 20 that an unknown person had created a “fake” profile on the social networking site to participate in debates over whether non-Muslims should be allowed to use the word “Allah” in worship.
“My concern is the impersonator might make some seditious comments in whatever group he joins and get me into trouble. For all I know, he is waiting for his time to strike, print screen and lodge a police report,” Lu said in her police report lodged in Kuala Lumpur.
Lu today showed reporters the phony profiles, set up under a different email address, which bore her photograph and name but contained few personal details and Facebook friends.According to Lu, another Facebook user Steven Seow had lodged his police report in Ipoh on Monday over similar concerns.
Lu said she and Seow had started a Facebook group called “We support the use of the name Allah by all Malaysians” on Jan 6.
The group has almost 95,000 members and is monitored by four administrators, including Lu and Seow.
To a question, Lu said she and Seow probably fell victim to identity theft because both of them were administrators of the Facebook group and were vocal on the issue.
Lu also alleged that there was one Facebook user who had purportedly copied postings from the supporting group and pasted it on an opposing group, with a view to instigate further dissatisfaction.
The opposing group, “Menentang Penggunaan Nama Allah oleh golongan bukan Islam” or “Against the usage of the name Allah by non-Muslims”, was set up on Jan 1 and has more than 253,000 members to date.
The opposing group was formed shortly after the Kuala Lumpur High Court on Dec 31, 2009 ruled that Catholic weekly publication Herald could use the word “Allah” in its Bahasa Malaysia edition.
The decision stirred heated debates over the matter with many taking their arguments to cyberspace.
Lu also stressed that the group was not affiliated to DAP, as alleged by a person claiming to be Seow.
“The impersonator insinuate that our group is run by DAP. We want to categorically state that we are just ordinary citizens who are trying to unite people since politicians cannot do it,” Lu said.
Lu added that she soon would lodge a report with the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC).
“We want to instill peace and harmony, not provoke others … These people should be called cyber terrorists. They are terrorising people and embarrassing (Malaysians) on the international front.
“If you want to fight, be fair and civil. Why the need to impersonate? Don’t hide behind a nickname,” Lu said.
Selangor state executive council member and Seputeh member of parliament Teresa Kok, who was present, urged MCMC to take the complaints seriously as such “crimes of impersonation” were becoming rampant.
