Fake Suicide Attempt Tests Facebook Prevention Tool, Lands Man In Asylum

First time accepted submitter abhishekmdb writes Shane Tusch faked his suicide in an attempt to test the authenticity of Facebook suicide prevention tool and got detained for 72 hours. Facebook has rolled out a set of tools to keep a check on its users who are having suicidal tendencies and prevent these users from suicidal attempts. In case some user is having suicidal thoughts and mentions that in the Facebook posts and if a friend of that user reports it to Facebook then a third party will immediately review the post and Facebook would lock the suicidal user's account and the user will be made to read Facebook's suicide prevention materials.

Comments

Great example

[Anonymous Coward]

This is a prime example of how NOT to start a career in software testing.

Re:Great example

[ls671]

Don't worry I am pretty sure /. doesn't have a suicide prevention tool. It is far down the list after https/TLS support.

The project has been delayed several times due to a high rate of false positive. It is really difficult to adapt off the selves suicide prevention software to /. audience.

Re:Great example

[Anonymous Coward]

Since Facebook doesn't verify your identity when signing up for an account.... how long before the bad guys start setting up fake accounts or hacking FB accounts and ransoming people?

Example would be: "Pay me $1000, or you will be picked up the police and put in mental institution. [insert pmt instructions]"

New tool gives the bad guys the means.

Re:Great example

[Rei]

Worse, what I see as a lot more likely is people who see their friend's computer left logged into FB and want to prank them... these days they usually write some sort of embarassing post or message their friends. But if they would instead write a post talking about suicide, and then use their own accounts to alert Facebook...

Re:Great example

[DoofusOfDeath]

No, it was delayed until Dice could run a story on women's under-representation in suicide rates.

Oh, *BRILLIANT*

[msobkow]

Take someone who is suicidal and crying out for help and to talk with their friends, and you block them from talking to anyone!

Why not just had them a gun?

Re:The premise -- collectivism

[sjames]

Nah, some people just give a shit about people who are not themselves.

The right thing to do.

[westlake]

Five days ago, when SFGate reported this story, it was made quite clear that Tusch's friends were not in on the hoax and took it quite seriously ---

and that someone reported it to the police independently of Facebook.

A mans fake suicide post gets him detained

Re: He got what he deserved.

[JockTroll]

Major Depression IS a person. I served under him for three years, starting when he was just a first lieutenant. Have some respect even if you're one of those clueless little shits who hate the military, because it's people like Major Depression who make it possible for you to kill yourself, you ungrateful dead.