Facebook Stalking Will Get You Four Years in Prison - The UpStream

Facebook Stalking Will Get You Four Years in Prison

posted Sunday Jul 24, 2011 by Nicholas DiMeo

Facebook Stalking Will Get You Four Years in Prison

We all know California was a little bit off the rocker and that their citizens were a touch on the nutty side, but this one definitely goes over the top. Not only is the offense out there but the sentence is, too. A guy from California spent time on Facebook, stalking women's Facebook pages, looking for items that would let him get into their email accounts.

The information he gathered would then lead him to get into the accounts via the security questions. Investigator Robert Mogester said,

The victims we went to said "I had very robust passwords." But it didn't matter how robust the password was if the recovery question is easy. Lost your password? What's your favorite color or what high school did you go to? Or what's your dog's name? And he was able to glean that information from social media.

So what happened here? We have the full story after the break.

When he finally got in, George Bronk would search their accounts for pictures and videos of the risque variety that the women would have mailed over to their significant others. Once he found them, he'd then send the files to their entire contact list. Women in Washington, D.C., 17 states and England all fell victim to Bronk sending these files to anyone from the affected accounts family to their coworkers and bosses. He would even go as far as to then threaten the women after getting into their accounts, to send him videos and pictures.

Bronk has apparently been doing this since December of 2009 until last September, as he was aiding his sick parents.

The result of his actions? 24-year-old Bronk plead guilty to charges of computer intrusion, false impersonation and even child pornography.

Sacramento County Superior Court Judge Lawrence Brown said,

This case serves as a stark example of what occurs in so-called cyberspace. It has very real consequences. The intrusion of one's profile is no different than intruding one's home.

Bronk has been sentenced to four years in a state prison for the intrusion and impersonation charges, as well as eight more months for the child pornography charges. The judge, after hearing the defense attorney's plea for a lighter sentence with probation due to remorse, said that Bronk was no different than a peeping Tom.

Further hurting his future is the fact that his goal to become a paramedic will not be able to happen as, once he gets out of prison, he will have to register as a sex offender.

The key thing here is that Internet security is a big issue that everyone needs to take seriously. We want to know two things. First, did Bronk's sentence fit the crime? Second, how is your Internet security and do you take necessary procedures to protect your account? Tell us in the comments.

Advertisement

Login to CommentWhat You're Saying

Be the first to comment!

We're live now - Join us!
PLUGHITZ Keyz

Email

Password

Forgot password? Recover here.
Not a member? Register now.
Blog Meets Brand Stats