How to get rich: blackmail

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/jerk-operator-personal-info-facebook-ftc-article-1.1748946

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The Federal Trade Commission says Jerk.com operator John Fanning improperly harvested personal information from Facebook to create “Jerk” and “Not a Jerk” profiles.

Fanning, 50, who previously co-founded the music-download service Napster, violated federal fair-trade laws when he falsely led consumers to believe that the Jerk.com content was created by users, according to an FTC complaint.

From 2009 to 2013, Jerk.com created profiles for more than 73 million people and allowed users to post remarks like, “Omg I hate this kid he’s such a loser,” the FTC says.

People were told they could revise their status by paying $30, according to the complaint, which seeks a court order against Jerk.com and its use of the personal information.

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