FTC Suing ‘Jerk’ Site That Harvested Facebook Info, Charged Misled Victims

A website that culled personal information from Facebook profiles, then posted pictures and asked users to vote on whether that person was a “Jerk” or “Not a Jerk” violated the FTC Act, the Federal Trade Commission charged in a lawsuit filed this week. The site illegally harvested Facebook for information, then posted profiles it suggested were created by members – and then falsely claimed that paying $30 to become a user of the site would let victims take their photo down. Jerk.com and site owner John Fanning has posted profiles for more than 73 million people, including children, the FTC said. “In today’s interconnected world, people are especially concerned about their reputation online, and this deceptive scheme was a brazen attempt to exploit those concerns,” Jessica Rich, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, said in a statement. A trial in the case has been set for January 2015.