Written byACCOMAC -- A local woman is incensed about rumors being spread about her love life on the social networking site Facebook's page called "Accomac Cheaters."
She is worried her young children may someday see the postings on the Internet, where information -- and misinformation -- sometimes remains accessible for a very long time, even after its creators think they have deleted it.
"In five years my son may come across this," she said, adding, "You work your whole life for your character -- that's all you have."
The woman consulted an attorney within hours of being made aware of a disparaging, expletive-laden posting about her on the page, Accomac Cheaters.
Because it is sometimes difficult to ascertain who developed a page on Facebook, the woman even paid $50 to an online locator service to find out the creator's IP address -- the unique numerical label assigned to each device participating in a computer network that uses the Internet Protocol for communication.
"This is just people that are targeting people. It should be prosecuted for the language alone," she said.
And for better or worse -- just like the broken marriage vows the sites claim to expose -- the pages are popular, although rife with language that would make a sailor blush.
Easternshore Cheaters currently has 94 friends, while Exmore Cheaters has 802 friends, Accomac Cheaters has 1,059 friends and a page called Eastern Shore VA Cheaters has 1,061 "likes" but no postings in the past month or so.
A statement of rights and responsibilities on the site says Facebook's operators "do our best to keep Facebook safe, but we cannot guarantee it. We need your help to do that, which includes the following:"
Among the points that follow is this: "You will not bully, intimidate, or harass any user," along with the next point, which states, "You will not post content that: is hateful, threatening, or pornographic; incites violence; or contains nudity or graphic images."
A little further down is this: "You will not use Facebook to do anything unlawful, misleading, malicious, or discriminatory."
She is worried her young children may someday see the postings on the Internet, where information -- and misinformation -- sometimes remains accessible for a very long time, even after its creators think they have deleted it.
"In five years my son may come across this," she said, adding, "You work your whole life for your character -- that's all you have."
The woman consulted an attorney within hours of being made aware of a disparaging, expletive-laden posting about her on the page, Accomac Cheaters.
Now she is considering filing a civil lawsuit against the page's creator and is inviting others who consider themselves victims of attacks on the site and similar sites, and who may want to be added as parties to a civil lawsuit, to email her at esvafacebookvictims@gmail. com.
Because it is sometimes difficult to ascertain who developed a page on Facebook, the woman even paid $50 to an online locator service to find out the creator's IP address -- the unique numerical label assigned to each device participating in a computer network that uses the Internet Protocol for communication.
"This is just people that are targeting people. It should be prosecuted for the language alone," she said.
There are actually several Facebook pages dedicated, at least ostensibly, to outing cheating Eastern Shore of Virginia spouses and significant others.
Easternshore Cheaters currently has 94 friends, while Exmore Cheaters has 802 friends, Accomac Cheaters has 1,059 friends and a page called Eastern Shore VA Cheaters has 1,061 "likes" but no postings in the past month or so.
The woman said she has sent five reports to Facebook about why the site where she was mentioned should be shut down, but has not yet heard back.
A statement of rights and responsibilities on the site says Facebook's operators "do our best to keep Facebook safe, but we cannot guarantee it. We need your help to do that, which includes the following:"
Among the points that follow is this: "You will not bully, intimidate, or harass any user," along with the next point, which states, "You will not post content that: is hateful, threatening, or pornographic; incites violence; or contains nudity or graphic images."
A little further down is this: "You will not use Facebook to do anything unlawful, misleading, malicious, or discriminatory."
The offended woman, whose name is being withheld by the News, also has an email address for people who have posted on the sites and now want to come forward with identifying information about the account holders. That address is esvafacebook info@yahoo.com.
