Tony LaRussa Suing Twitter Over Fake Account
St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony LaRussa is suing social networking site Twitter over a fake account that depicted him in a negative light. LaRussa is claiming the account damaged his reputation and caused him emotional distress.
The lawsuit claims that someone created a false account under La Russa’s name and posted updates, known as “tweets,” that gave the false impression that the comments came from La Russa. The suit said the comments were “derogatory and demeaning” and damaged La Russa’s trademark rights.
The lawsuit includes a screenshot of tweets with the heading “Hey there! Tony La Russa is using Twitter,” with a picture of the manager. Among other things, the lawsuit claims the page includes distasteful references to two Cardinals pitchers who have died in recent years.
The account had since been deleted. Twitter is not making any public statements about the lawsuit at this time.
Many celebrities and Hollywood stars have embraced Twitter as a way to connect with their fans and get their message out. Some of the most active celebrities on Twitter include Lance Armstrong, Ashton Kutcher, Shaquille O’Neal among others.
Several high profile college coaches are using Twitter to recruit and stay connected with today’s high-tech athletes.
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As sad as it is that La Russa had his identity stolen on the Internet, Twitter is actually covered by Section 230 of The Communications Decency Act. Hopefully, he’ll find a way to land the IP address of the person that stole his identity.
Even if La Russa does find out who did it, chances are he’ll have little recourse towards them. Social networking websites need to find a way to ensure people aren’t getting their identities stolen. I do my online social networking on Zovue.com because I trust the website. Privacy is a big concern and on Zovue.com I select who is my friend. I don’t want people randomly adding me to build their networks. I want only people who know me to be able to see my stuff. I can choose who sees my social networking content on Zovue.com and I think all social networks should follow suit.