Private Facebook groups may be some of the most fun places on the web, but they can also be a little dangerous.
this “Are we dating the same person?” Facebook group is a page designed for women dating men to get reference information about their male partners, warn other women of “red flags,” and see if they are dating the same guy. But if you’re one of them, this page isn’t that interesting. One of the aforementioned guys is suing, which is so not fun.
Are we dating the same person? This Facebook group may know.
Chicago man Nikko D’Ambrosio is suing 27 women, one man and multiple social media platforms, including Yuan for “false and defamatory statements.” While the Facebook group describes itself as a “national red flag awareness group where women can empower and protect each other from toxic men,” The lawsuit was filed last week in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois It claims it maintains “a platform that allows women to anonymously doxx, defame and attack the moral character of men they meet online.”
D’Ambrosio went on several dates with one of the defendants and had consensual sex — a relationship the indictment calls “unremarkable.” She posted him in a group asking for information about other women. In response, some women called him “very clingy” and “crazy.” One woman said they went out but he showed up to her after they slept together. He and his attorney asked the defendant to delete the post, which she did. However, she reposted the post under an anonymous account, the complaint states.
He is seeking $75,000 in damages and an order to prevent the defendants from continuing to post on “Are we dating the same guy?” Facebook page, according to Business Insider.
No one outside the group is supposed to know what goes on inside the group – but, since it’s the internet, that doesn’t stop them. Nothing in these posts can be verified, and for all we know, the posts themselves could have an impact on a person’s reputation, and as Mashable previously reported, “for better or worse, that seems to be the point.”
It’s unclear how this lawsuit will unfold, but it will be interesting to see who is responsible for speech in private groups and what impact this will have on public speech and safety on social media.
