The Disappearance of Fake Online Reviews
The Difficulty of Controlling the Internet
December 10, 2004
On December 10, I received a message from a reader, who was likely relaying information that had already circulated widely. The text read:
I am a France Télécom colleague from the Franche-Comté URR. My son has disappeared. I am asking for help in finding him. Attached is a file with a description and photo. Thank you to everyone.
Laurent Sixdenier
Rémy SIXDENIER has disappeared. Please help us find him. Here is his description: 1.75 m tall – dark brown hair, short and cropped. Grey-green eyes, wearing glasses. He was wearing a dark blue sweatshirt, dark blue jeans, a sleeveless black jacket, and white Adidas sneakers when he left. If you see him, please call the nearest gendarmerie and my mobile number &&&&&& (I have removed this number).
A photo was attached:
I quickly relayed this information. Several readers immediately responded to inform me that the message was baseless, and all urged me to visit the website:
Another reader provided a more specific link to the site’s page, which discusses this case in greater detail:
http://www.hoaxbuster.com/hoaxliste/hoax_message.php?idArticle=14257
On this page, the full story:
WANTED – The (Too) Large Family of Rémy
Sending out a missing person alert via email carries risks that are not always considered. After Christelle and Aurélie, Rémy and his family have learned this the hard way...
This young man did indeed disappear from his home at the beginning of 2003. To help advance the search, his family decided to appeal to the solidarity of internet users by sending out an email alert. As often happens in such cases, the message spread uncontrollably. Rémy has since been found, so the alert no longer serves any purpose—but it continues circulating from inbox to inbox...
Now, Rémy’s photo and his missing person notice are known to thousands of internet users, as is the phone number to contact... All of this spreads via email, appears on websites, forums, and more. With all the consequences this has for Rémy and his family: people accosting him in the street, staring at him, anonymous phone calls, and the constant need to explain to strangers that the young man has been found, that the alert is obsolete, and that there is no need to contact the police...
Of course, it is anxiety and the desire to act that drive families or friends to write and send such messages online. We think email is an easy, fast, and convenient way to communicate: it allows reaching a huge audience quickly, and even sending a photo to help with the search. However, it is only once the missing person has been found that we realize the limitations of this approach: an online chain of solidarity never truly stops. Once a message is out, it's impossible to halt its spread, especially when personal phone numbers and email addresses are circulating across Europe.
Without wishing to minimize the anguish felt by loved ones facing a disappearance, we believe everyone should be aware of the potential consequences of sending such messages online. If you find yourself in this situation and truly wish to act, it is better to create a dedicated webpage (with an official contact point—not your personal email or phone number!) that you can update and remove when appropriate. Even if it may seem difficult to accept in such a moment, it is better to let specialized organizations handle such cases: they are equipped and organized for this purpose.
See the Child Focus website
Article written by: [extatic] for hoaxbuster.com
Published: October 12, 2003
Last updated: October 12, 2003
My comment: What matters most is that the boy was found. The collateral inconveniences seem insignificant compared to a real disappearance—such as murder, kidnapping for trafficking to a foreign country, or abduction. But through this case, we touch on the wild, uncontrolled nature of the internet. At first, one assumes someone must be truly malicious to post a fake missing person alert. Then, after investigation, internet users discover there was no ill intent—only that once set in motion, the machine simply never stopped. A truly singular story.
That said, if online alerts have genuinely helped locate missing children, then the drawbacks related to the difficulty of stopping the spread are minor in comparison. It’s simply another facet of the web—one I never suspected existed.
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