Facebook user borrows Akron reporter’s face to harass people in Ontario | Mark J. Price

Now I’ve heard everything. Someone is being rude in Canada.

I’m not sure how I got involved in this international incident, but an internet troll has been using my photograph to harass the good people of Wasaga Beach, Ontario .

Mark Winegarden, the administrator of an online group in the summer resort town along Georgian Bay, tipped me off to the impostor.

“I thought I would reach out and let you know your image is being used by someone in the community,” he wrote.

Winegarden said the troublemaker, who copied my Beacon Journal portrait and turned it into a Facebook profile under the identity Ralph Watson, is “posting nasty insults as part of a political smear campaign.”

After conducting an image search in Google, Winegarden tracked the photo’s origin to a certain journalist in Akron.

The Canadian user’s true identity remains a mystery.

“Several of us suspect we know who it is, but of course it is just speculation,” Winegarden wrote.

I’ve spent many enjoyable vacations in Ontario, but I have yet to make it to the sunny shores of Wasaga Beach. I would hate to get punched in the nose on my first visit.

Why me? Why did “Ralph Watson” go through the Beacon Journal employee directory and select me? How did he pass up the smoldering good looks of Craig Webb, the rugged charisma of Alan Ashworth, the convivial affability of Phil Masturzo?

Perhaps I look more Canadian than those guys.

Well, the joke’s on the online troll. My photo is 10 years old and barely resembles me. Naturally, I’m more distinguished looking these days.

Winegarden reported the fake ID to Meta, but he thought the company might be quicker to act if the person directly affected filed a complaint. So, reluctantly, I dipped my toe into the churning waters of social media.

I learned how to file a complaint under the heading: “How to report a Facebook account or Page that’s pretending to be me or someone else.”

Profiles and pages that impersonate other people are a violation of Facebook’s community standards. People can report “potentially impersonating profiles” even if they don’t have a Facebook account. Step-by-step instructions explain how to do it .

Before I filed a complaint, “Ralph Watson” kicked me to the curb and changed his profile picture to an adorable photo of a Newfoundland dog.

Hmmm. Maybe I should use that dog for my Beacon Journal portrait. It might generate more clicks online.

Winegarden lamented the toxic politics in his little town. So many people are using fake IDs online, he said.

In an online post, Winegarden took “Ralph Watson” to task .

“Spreading lies with no accountability is one of the most cowardly things possible,” he wrote. “... If you want to be obnoxious and lie about everything … have the courage to remove your mask.”

The profile apparently got taken down this week. According to Facebook: “This content isn’t available right now. When this happens it’s usually because the owner only shared it with a small group of people, changed who can see it or it’s been deleted.”

Here’s hoping that our friends to the north can politely resolve their differences without appropriating any more photos from Ohio.

On the bright side, if I ever do visit Wasaga Beach, Winegarden has promised to give me “a VIP tour.”

I promise I won’t talk about politics.

This and that

1. According to a new survey , 72% of Americans say they scroll on their phone while using the bathroom, but 46% of those people don’t consider their phone dirty afterward. My question: Only 72%?

2. Sign on a fence along Medina Line Road: “Don’t cross this field unless you can do it in 5.9 sec. The bull can do it in 6 sec. flat.”

3. The traffic jams have been horrible this summer at Blossom Music Center. It took us three hours to get to the Chicago concert. In another 2½ hours, we could have actually driven to Chicago.

4. Speaking of the Windy City: Why are there East of Chicago Pizza locations in Akron, but no West of Akron Pizza locations in Chicago?

5. Bumper sticker at grocery store: “My other car is another car that has a sticker that says my other car is this car.”

Mark J. Price can be reached at mprice@thebeaconjournal.com

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Facebook user borrows Akron reporter’s face to harass people in Ontario | Mark J. Price