View of the Facebook homepage taken in Washington,DC on January 3, 2011. Social-networking giant Facebook could flex its growing might after reportedly raising 500 million dollars from Goldman Sachs and a Russian firm in a deal valuing the website at 50 billion dollars. Goldman has invested 450 million dollars, and Digital Sky Technologies, a Russian investment firm that has already sunk about half a billion dollars into Facebook, invested 50 million dollars, The New York Times reported Monday, citing sources familiar with the deal. AFP PHOTO/Nicholas KAMM (Photo credit should read NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP/Getty Images)Facebook homepage (NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP/Getty Images)
Blumenthal said there were unauthorized appeals for donations for Soto’s family and for shooting rampage survivor Kaitlin Roig.
“A number of families contacted me about this issue and we’ve been in discussions with Facebook and finally sent this letter which, fortunately, they heeded,” Blumenthal told WCBS 880 Connecticut Bureau Chief Fran Schneidau.
In the letter to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Sens. Blumenthal and Chris Murphy and Rep. Elizabeth Etsy blasted Facebook for allowing pages that violated its own “community standards” rules.
“Their rules correctly prohibit exactly these kinds of invasive and exploitative pages,” said Blumenthal.
The Facebook tribute pages gave the false impression that they were created by friends or family. One of the pages even linked Soto and Roig with Satan, Schneidau reported.
The lawmakers said the pages have been used to exploit or harass the families of the victims of the Dec. 14 shooting rampage and could be used in financial fraud.
