Dead girl’s image used in Facebook dating ad
The company said it was a “gross violation” of its policies and it has been removed and the dating website, Ionechat.com, has been banned.
Rehtaeh Parsons died after she was taken off life support following a suicide attempt in April. Her family says the 17-year-old was bullied for months after an alleged sexual assault.
Her’ father, Glen Canning, said he was disgusted to see the photo.
The advert featured the heading, “Find Love in Canada! Meet Canadian girls and women for friendship, dating or relationships.”
“This is an extremely unfortunate example of an advertiser scraping an image from the Internet and using it in their ad campaign,” a Facebook spokesperson said in the emailed statement.
“This is a gross violation of our ad policies and we have removed the ad and permanently deleted the advertiser’s account.
“We apologise for any harm this has caused.”
Ionechat.com could not be reached for comment.
Parsons was taken off life-support following a suicide attempt, which her family says was brought on by months of bullying following an alleged sexual assault.
It is believed she attempted suicide after being bullied for 18 months when a photograph of her allegedly being raped by four boys at a house party in 2011 appeared online and was circulated around her school.
Parsons’ picture had been used widely in worldwide media after her death.
Parsons’ death prompted the Nova Scotia government to pass the Cyber-Safety Act, which allows people to sue or seek a protection order from the courts if they or their children are being cyberbullied.
The act also paved the way for the creation of an investigative unit dedicated to pursuing and penalising cyberbullies, which the government expects to be in operation by the end of the year.
