With a court order (which can only be issued by a judge), law enforcement officers can get additional information from Facebook, including transactional logs such as intra-session IP addresses. Lawyers can also obtain a subpoena for the purposes of obtaining evidence to be used in a civil case. Facebook regularly assists law enforcement in responding to subpoenas by providing information about the creator of the account, including their name, email address, date of birth, and some other account identifiers provided by the user when they signed up. While the specific procedures can vary by state, law enforcement officers can obtain a subpoena from a judge, county or state prosecutor, or other qualified attorney, once an investigation has begun. Law enforcement can also assist you in obtaining a subpoena, which is a legal order that requires a person or entity named to show up at court or to produce documents or other information specified (that could be used as evidence in a trial). There are more guidelines for law enforcement officers here. Officers can do this even before a formal investigation has begun. The first thing the investigating officer should do is complete a formal request to Facebook to preserve the page details and accompanying account information before they are deleted by the user who created the page. The police are trained to determine whether information contained on the site could be viewed as a “true threat,” or if it violates the law in any other ways. This is particularly important if you feel that your safety (or the safety of someone else) is in jeopardy. If you believe that what was said or posted about you on the fake profile is of a criminal nature (e.g., a threat or a hate crime) or violates your civil rights (e.g., defamation of character or libel), contact local law enforcement so that they can investigate. And if the account creator deletes the account before you have a chance to report it to Facebook or collect the evidence, it can be impossible to obtain information about who created it. Once the account has been disabled by Facebook, it will be more difficult for you to get the evidence you need. Overall, the more information you can gather, the more easily it will be to identify who is responsible, and hold them accountable, if necessary. It might help in determining who was behind the creation of the profile. Collect as much information about them as you can.
Try to identify all of the people who are connected to the profile (friends or followers). Note the URL (web address) of the page because it includes the user ID () or username (). Take screenshots (see our fact sheet here) or simply print out the profile and any related information. It is important that you collect as much information about the profile as you can before reporting it to Facebook. Learn about and take advantage of all of these resources. The company has developed numerous other tools to help you protect your information and reputation, including a form that allows you to request the records of an account that was impersonating you. I think that is pretty cool! Facebook also educates the user about the consequences of identity theft. If the creator of the fake profile attempts to log into the account after it has been reported, Facebook will require the user to prove their identity and display a map that shows where they are at (thereby removing the veil of complete anonymity). If you do not have a Facebook account, you can report imposter profiles here.
If you don’t feel comfortable with that, or do not know who created it, you can report it to Facebook and it will be disabled while they investigate. (You can read Larry Magid’s recent interview with Facebook’s Arturo Bejar where they discuss these options.) Facebook has a social reporting tool that allows you to convey your disapproval, and ask that the content be removed, in a respectful way. If you know who created the profile, ask them to remove it. The key in responding is to move quickly to gather information and to inform the proper authorities.
Now what do you do? We regularly receive requests from people who find themselves, their kids, or their friends in this situation. In fact, it’s embarrassing, and malicious, and ruining your reputation. And some of the information included isn’t exactly flattering. You click on the link and see your name and picture on the profile. Imagine you receive an email from a friend that includes a link to a Facebook profile.