Wasaga Beach fake identities

In the last discussion we talked about bullies and how online forums are sometimes easy to misunderstand when it comes to intent. If you actually knew all people posting, you could perhaps assign certain personal traits to that persons words. Unfortunately… it rarely works like that and occasionally people take things the wrong way.

Today, I want to talk about one of the most important things to be aware of when you are depending on Facebook for your primary source of information.

I am very knowledgeable about this subject because I have successfully attempted to expose many of the fake ID’s in the past.

I personally think it important to understand that some people use “pen names” for a wide variety of reasons that I think make it perfectly acceptable. Should you be denied the opportunity to discuss something because your employer has a policy against social media sharing? or… Perhaps you have been physically threatened? or… Should you still be able to express your opinion without fear of reprisals from family? or… Do others constantly defame you but they have you blocked? Should you be able to create an alternate ID to at least observe their lies? I think instances similar to these make it perfectly acceptable to create and even use fake ID’s.

My concern however is the hundreds of Fake Identities who flood Facebook with their lies and their personal attacks against those just trying to discuss the truth. This has become such an important issue to governments that they attempt to expose international crime syndicates that use fakes to influence elections. Wait… fake ID’s can influence elections? ABSOLUTELY!

Here on Facebook, one of my first encounters with a fake was someone using the ID, “The Crowing Rooster” (back in 2014) I think he was the first person to threaten to not use our business if my wife didn’t change her political stripes.

Since then, I have actually kept a list of the many ID’s that influence Wasaga Beach political discussions. There are many on the list, but surprisingly I still get messages from otters who say. Person x is actually ________.

So, who are these ID’s and how do I know they are fake? How can you know? Let’s start with the most recent one I have exposed. Who is “Ralph Watson”? He and Drew Peacock have been joining forces these last few days.

Well, they are the perfect examples of why Fake ID’s should be shut down. It seems that every time any person in Wasaga Beach objects to something our Council is doing, Ralph and Drew come to the defense of the Town. That would be OK, if his/her comments were always polite and on point. But they are not. These ID’s simply attack people, they are rude and make no apology for the constant barrage of insults and accusations they throw around.

But, how do you determine one is a fake? Well it starts when I see an insult… then I typically wonder who is insulting me or the person who is the target of the day. So, I go into their profile and poke around a bit. Guess what? Most fakes have no personal photos, no details about their past and in many cases, the ID was only recently created. So… I typically come right out and question them about being a Fake ID. In the case of Ralph, he responded a few weeks after my first enquiry by changing his/her ID photo from a dog to an actual real live man. Well, that changes things doesn’t it? No… in this particular case, he/she was still careless enough to use someone’s face that is actually a public figure. All I did was complete a “reverse image lookup” on the internet and boom…. Meet…. “Mark J. Price”, a journalist in Akron Ohio. Imagine his shock when I emailed him his image as Ralph. I told him that a local Mayoral supporter was using his photo as their profile picture.

In the weeks that followed, Ralph Watson was reported to Facebook. Both Mark Price, several of my friends and I all reported him. He disappeared. Of course he did. Facebook may have taken him down but it is more likely that he deleted his account. Why? Well he can then simply re-activate it and continue the act when it’s convenient. If you are reading my post, you have likely read comments from Ralph Watson before. He is active today in some local groups.

So… here comes an important question. Why do this? Why type out the words you feel are important, but attribute them to the image of a reporter from Akron Ohio? Why do so many of his comments support or echo political antagonists or other FB Fakes? The simple answer… if they can convince you that their opponent is wrong, then they have done their job. Trust me… it’s a job!

On a Netflix series I recently watched they featured a “troll farm” that was actually a room of people creating fake events, actually uploading fake videos and creating all kinds of chaos… all for political gain! Not one was a real person.

There are so many downsides to this practice. First off, the real Mark Price was motivated and did a feature article in an Akron Newspaper. In it, Wasaga Beach Politics was criticized and he actually said he was fearful of visiting Wasaga Beach in case someone punched him in the nose. Imagine that! The person whose image Ralph Watson used actually feared being punched because someone was commenting using his image!

Many of his comments are backed up by Drew Peacock and others. I wonder if they are in the same room at different keyboards?

The real damage isn’t to the person who’s image is stolen. The real damage is in the number of people who have had their beliefs shaped by these fakes. Yes… elections here were influenced!

So who is doing this? Facebook will never reveal who it may be. They make money, lots and lots of money because of the engagement created by these id’s. So, it becomes the problem of user groups to police their own commentary.

In my case, if I administer a group… I allow known “pen names” to continue. That is of course dépendant on them sticking to facts. I don’t believe anyone should hide behind a fake ID to hurl insults or lies. Sharing an unpopular memory? Ok. Picking sides in a debate? Ok. But being obnoxious and simply hurling insults and lies… nope. Some who will object to this discussion will say I “allow” people to use fakes to hurl insults. No, in fact I often will reach out to people I know are fakes who have crossed a line and ask them to edit or delete their post. Those using a pen name who slip up and let their anger surface are one thing. It’s completely another thought to create an identity simply so you can spread FALSE information and attack good people.

The ironic thing about the Drew Peacock ID is that the current version is actually a new nasty version of the one that surfaced a few years ago and seemed to be a repository for great information. It was so important to these fakers to build their back story that they tried a post explaining that he had switched allegiance. Lol… yes, it’s that bizarre.

Yes, along with several other group administrators, we prevent certain fakes from commenting. However, stopping fakes from participating in one group does not prevent them from just posting elsewhere. Group administrators who refuse to intervene may one day have to answer for their decision, but right now… there is no downside. Sure, the quality of debates can rapidly decline but its numbers of group members that most of those administrators crave. So, please consider the quality of a discussion when administrators who have the power to block a known fraudster, choose to allow him/her to continue.

Check it out tonight. Go to any group and type those names. Remember… the real person could be anyone.

Are all of these fakes actually elected officials who want you to believe a certain line of thought? Think about that possibility the next time you investigate your own fakes. Are the fakes actually administrators in the groups simply stirring up trouble to increase the size of an audience. Is the fake ID your neighbour or Boss who doesn’t want you to know it’s him/her being so rude.

Make no mistake… these FAKE ID’s are some of the rudest, most obnoxious posters out there. But they seem to support a specific political following at all times. Coincidence?

Pen names?

Fakes?

Look at their messages.

Are they sharing the truth and simply don’t want to be bullied?

Or…

Are they hurling insults and distracting from the original questions being considered.

As recently as two days ago, a really well spoken gentleman posted a comment and his name was that of a cartoon character. He later explained his ID was compromised and explained that he simply picked a new name. His post was not offensive in any way. It did not attack anyone. There certainly was no malicious intent, yet his very existence was questioned by people I truly respect.

I get it, we are all defensive when a certain triggers are hit. It continues to be a complicated issue and as long as Facebook continues to allow these ID’s the struggle to discern the truth will remain.

What is required by everyone is awareness. Feel free to give examples of IDs you have suspected of being fake and why.

According to Facebook over 142 Million users are fake.

How many of those are right here in Wasaga Beach?

I personally have a list of about 60. That’s Sixty people who write whatever they want. They claim it’s true. They go to another keyboard and back themselves up with a supportive comment. Does Wasaga Beach have their own active “Troll Farm”? If only “Pinky” was real, he would know what to do.