The latest actions by Facebook are sending a strong message to spammers that their deceptive practices will no longer be tolerated. In a post made visible on the Facebook Security section of the website, it was announced that multiple lawsuits were filed by the social network last week in a United States federal court in San Jose, California.

In all, Facebook filed three separate lawsuits. The accused parties at the center of the three suits are Steven Richter, Jason Swan, and Max Bounty, Inc.  Facebook alleges that the spammers used its website to post fake offers for various products and services. 

The defendants are said to have posted the fake offers on Facebook and urged members to perform certain actions in order to qualify for or reap the so-called benefits of the offers. For instance, some members were told that they would have to spam their friends and spread the word to qualify. Some offers requested specific information from members, while others had them sign up for automatic cell phone subscription services.

By doing so, Facebook alleges that the spammers were in violation of many laws.  Among the laws cited in the suits as being violated are several federal and state laws, the United States Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, and the Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing Act.

Although the three suits filed in California last week are a definite warning sign to spammers, it is not the first time Facebook has resorted to legal action to protect its site from spam. The popular social network has won lawsuits in the past that were large enough to earn recognition in the Guinness Book of World Records.

The largest victory came against Adam Guerbuez and Atlantis Blue Capital. In that case, Facebook won an $873 million judgment, which was the biggest in the history of the CAN-SPAM Act. Although Guerbuez is based in Canada and the judgment took place in the United States, a Canadian court ruled that the judgment could still be enforced in Canada. Facebook also holds the number two spot in the CAN-SPAM Act judgment rankings, with a $711 million victory against Sanford Wallace. While the monetary damages being sought against the three defendants in California have not been determined, it is probable that they will be steep.

The Facebook Security post promised that the network would continue to pursue legal action in the future against spammers, and that is has more actions pending. Besides simply suing perpetrators of fraud, Facebook also promises that it will do everything in its power to collect the monetary damages awarded in the suits.

In addition to its litigious efforts, Facebook has also filled its site with ways to combat spammers. The site has links to report suspicious or fraudulent behavior, and it also has built-in technology to detect and block spam. So that users can stay protected, Facebook has instituted protective measures such as one-time passwords for use in public places, the ability to sign out remotely from accounts, and periodic prompts for users to keep their security information up-to-date.  
 
For more on this topic, visit http://blog.facebook.com/blog.php?post=436800707130

DISCLAIMER: The content provided in this article is not warranted or guaranteed by Developer Shed, Inc. The content provided is intended for entertainment and/or educational purposes in order to introduce to the reader key ideas, concepts, and/or product reviews. As such it is incumbent upon the reader to employ real-world tactics for security and implementation of best practices. We are not liable for any negative consequences that may result from implementing any information covered in our articles or tutorials. If this is a hardware review, it is not recommended to open and/or modify your hardware.

More Web Hosting Security Articles
More By wubayou