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FINE GAEL TD Barry Ward has called on the government to make it illegal to impersonate someone in order to trick people online, a practice known as ‘catfishing’.
Ward said in the Dáil today that catfishing is “immoral and wrong” and that it harms not only those people who are duped by impersonators, but also the people whose identities are being assumed.
He also said that while the practice may breach defamation laws and, in cases where money is paid to an impersonator, legislation covering fraud, he wants the government to define catfishing in legislation and make it explicitly illegal.
“We can all recognise that this is wrong and immoral. What is extraordinary is that it is not illegal. It is clear that catfishing is not against the law in Ireland,” Ward said.
“In many instances, it has happened in the context of online dating and romantic contexts but there is also a wider issue in respect of fraud and things like that,” Ward said.
“How can we expect to stop people from doing this and how can we expect anything to change if we do not make this illegal and introduce real consequences in the courts and in criminal justice legislation for people who do this?” he asked.
During his contribution in the Dáil, Ward referenced cases which have been highlighted by Irish podcasts, particularly ‘Cruel Intentions: Catching the Catfish’ and ‘The 2 Johnnies’.
“Listening to Johnny B. and Johnny Smacks on ‘The 2 Johnnies’ podcast, the extent of and detail involved in what they describe as having happened is extraordinary. Any person could be hoodwinked by it,” Ward said.
He said it must be remembered “that the images used to dupe people online are images of real people, although they have been misused in the context of the catfishing. Those people are also affected by this”.
“On the “Cruel Intentions” podcast, I heard of a young woman whose image had been stolen. She is afraid that, when going into a local coffee shop, she will be approached by someone who thinks they are in a relationship with her because her image has been used online,” he said.
“It damages a whole range of people even if they are not involved and have done nothing wrong.”
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Ooooh, so would all the fake profiles commenting here fall under that legislation? ;)
In all seriousness though, I think this is a tad ridiculous. As is mentioned, there already are laws that could cover the issues raised.
This all feels rather attention seeking by this TD.
@Tricia G28: Serious question, what it is a fake profile? I mean, I doubt your surname is G28 and you have no picture. Wouldn’t your own account count as “fake”? Help me understand, Trish.
@Tricia G28: I’ll bet he won’t go after the grafton street stabbers !!!
@Chop Chop: If someone operates dozens of pseudonymous profiles here with the sole purpose of trolling, I think it’s fair to describe them as ‘fake’.
@Brendan O’Brien: Is there a way of verifying if this is true? What is your source?
@Chop Chop: I’ve had one profile on here for the last year, it’s my Gmail account.
Prior to the changes made regarding logging in, I used my Facebook profile that had my full name, that was used for about 11 years.
I can also tell you that plenty of people in my “real” life recognise my comments on here.
I think you know full well I was referring to the people that have multiple accounts.
@Tricia G28: imagine complaining about fake profiles from a fake profile.
@Brendan O’Brien: if Tricia isn’t the real name of the person using the profile then it’s a fake profile. So it’s fair to call the profile fake
@Ger Whelan: Tricia is my real name.
@Ger Whelan: A single profile where someone writes pseudonymously but in good faith is not ‘fake’ in my opinion.
@Brendan O’Brien: my goodness, what codswallop, you’ve accused me before of being other people & of being MALE. I regret to say you leave me with no choice but to REPORT your vile accusations
@Tricia G28: I thought you used to post here as Tricia G? You’re that cute redhead, right?
@Brendan O’Brien: I don’t believe that you are using your real name.
@Tricia G28: sorry I missed the G28. If Tricia G28 isn’t your real name the profile is a fake profile.
@Chop Chop: Tricia G was Twitter. Yes, I’m a redhead.
Anyone, if they were remotely interested could probably easily find out who I am. I’ve never had anything to hide. And I’ve never intentionally trolled anyone.
@Brendan O’Brien: look at you changing the goal posts again to suit yourself. Fake is fake regardless if its one profile or 20 profiles.
@Ger Whelan: That is only your definition, which I would disagree with. People deliberately making multiple accounts to post as multiple different people are fake accounts.
You always know it’s me posting. Just because you don’t know my last name or can see what I look like doesn’t mean it’s fake.
@Ger Whelan: ‘Fake’ and ‘pseudonymous’ are not synonymous.
You may choose to interpret them as such, but I believe that you’re on shaky ground.
@Tricia G28: oh give over you actually believe because you only use one profile with a name you MADE UP to enable you to post on here its not fake because others haven’t multiple profiles with names they made up?. you can’t be serious?
Tell me if I have 1 fake bank note and the person beside me has 20 fake bank notes is my fake bank note suddenly real? No it’s not just like your account isn’t real
@Tricia G28: *cute redhead
@Ger Whelan: Using a weird false dichotomy doesn’t make you right.
Thing is Ger, I think it’s clear to everyone reading my comments that I am not a “fake” account. I’m the same account, that’s used the same name the entire time I’ve posted to The Journal. Anyone can easily follow my comments through the history of this site. It’s the ones with Tricia G in the name (go back far enough you can even find my full name, before things get truly awful on here).
So whether you think I’m “real” or “fake” isn’t relevant to me. As long as everyone else that reads my comments can understand I’m the same person commenting today as was commenting back in 2015, than I’m fine with that.
@Ger Whelan: get a life ‘Ger’…
My parents were called mr & Mrs Again. And for some reason that must have seemed funny to them at the time, they christianed me offside. It’s a mad world ‘Ger’
@Ger Whelan: Please allow me to settle this, there is no such thing as a “fake account”. There are genuine commenters using their real name or a pseudonym, such as myself, yourself, Tricia etc.. There are people looking to antagonise, for various reasons, using their real name or a pseudonym, such as Brendan (formerly Tony). If an account is visible and is posting, it is de facto “real”. Hope this clears things up :-)
@Tricia G28: believe whatever you like. All I can tell is this. If the journal.ie ever changed its policy to where you have to prove your Identity by uploading a picture I’d before you could comment, you would be unable to comment using Tricia G28. Because Tricia G28 is a fake. So the profile is fake
@Chop Chop: Just for the record, I have never commented here under any other name (unlike you).
@Ger Whelan: so what you’re saying is that, if The Journal was to change their rules regarding account verification, they may deem Tricia’s account to be “fake”, and as a result ban her account from posting. But under the current rules, the account is not deemed to be fake
@Brendan O’Brien: I’ve had at least 20 profiles over the years, I’ve no problem admitting that, Tony.
@Ger Whelan: I could easily add a picture to my account. Why do you think that would be a problem? It’s my Gmail account. Gmail has my full name.
@Tricia G28: Does your Gmail has G28? If no you cannot post under Tricia G28. You post under the name on your ID. The fact is you have the opportunity to use your real name and you didn’t, you chose a fake name. Fake names are fake accounts. Be it one fake name or 20 fake names. It’s ridiculous claiming using a fake name makes your account real
@Ger Whelan: No one else here seems to agree, and Gmail DOES have my full name. The G28 is what you’re allowed to create as your ID. Mostly because my name was not available by the time I got a Gmail account.
@Tricia G28: Nobody can see your Gmail can they? When I tried to post my first comment after logging in using my Gmail I was asked by the journal to enter a name that I will post under. I typed in my real name. You would have had the same opportunity and you typed in a fake name. So you made a fake account to post.
@Ger Whelan: Trish is the real deal. She’s been posting here for years.
@Ger Whelan: And when did you create that, Ger? I’ve been on here since at least 2014, I’ve used three accounts. Twitter (Tricia G) Facebook (Tricia G********) and when they changed their login protocols, Gmail (Tricia G28). So, you can pedantically try to disprove my account, yet I don’t believe you’ve succeeded.
Now, I think I’ve wasted enough time entertaining your claims that I’m a “fake” account so I’m going to leave you to your paranoias. You enjoy your day.
@Tricia G28: admittedly I’m not here since 2014 Tricia. I’ve never had a Facebook or twitter account so I couldn’t use this site until they changed their logins. But that has nothing to do with the fact your real name isn’t Tricia G28, so your profile is a fake profile. Just like anyone else who uses a fake name to comment here.
@Ger Whelan: If I make a profile with a fake name and a fake photo, is that a “real account”? More to the point, how would you even know? How do I know that your real name is Ger Whelan?
In honour of this, my next profile shall be named, Barry Ward, with his picture.
@Chutes Idiot: Don’t think my wife would like that.
@Chop Chop: she said she doesn’t care really. By the way the salmon is fantastic here. Will I give her a doggie bag to bring home for your tea?
@john murray: Sure. I’ll tell her to leave you a nice tip, for being such a considerate waiter.
Impersonating at another level is men masquerading as women.
They should really publicise reverse image searching. It’s the kryponite to the aul’ catfishing. Not a fan of the 2 Johnnies in Genera but the GAA catfish was a decent listen.
@Setanta O’Toole: It used to be but Google have completely neutered it.
@Setanta O’Toole: thispersondoesnotexist.com
Brilliant podcast…I never listened to them before this….
Grown men not finding true love after having their hearts broken wanting government to take care of them. That’s all I’m allowed to post. But you get my drift
Haven’t listened to the podcast but find it kind of amusing and ironic that all the anonymous commentators on this forum have a view on this issue. Personally, I wouldn’t trust anyone I engaged with online. Never been on any dating sites etc. but even if you’re on LinkedIn or comment on Reddit you can be inundated by actual creeps.
Grown men not getting their hole after letting their
have your say