SCOOP ; ... “This is what reinforces our belief that there have been accomplices,” a security source said. But this is not all. The perpetrator, or perpetrators, of “Scoop Marrakech” have been emulated.
Similar pages bearing the same name have proliferated like mushrooms and reflect almost exactly the same content. That is what makes it difficult for both investigators and specialists of the regional laboratory for digital-trace analysis, a department established Dec. 16, 2012 in the police prefecture.
So why not head directly to the source and shut “Scoop Marrakech” down?
“Steps have been taken in this direction with Facebook and we are still awaiting their response," a police source in Marrakech said. But even this will not solve the problem since it is practically impossible to keep up with all these pages, unless an outright ban is imposed on accessing Facebook. To make matters worse, some users have taken over other websites, including YouTube, where the same photos scroll across the screen for several minutes at a time, along with the same scathing comments.
This has become a trend even beyond Marrakech. In fact, there have been countless Facebook pages with the word "scoop" linked to the name of a city, with a series of photos with commentary. What’s worse, the photos that are posted on foreign sites are presented as those of young Moroccans. Meanwhile, the case of "Scoop Marrakech" has not revealed all its secrets. The latest news is that M.A.Z. has denied everything, reneging on his initial statements to the police. He will remain under interrogation until a date is set for bring him to justice.
Fear over the city
The first victims of "Scoop Marrakech" have been going through hard times, with their reputations tarnished throughout the city.
"Some of these girls refuse to go to school or even out in the street for fear of being stigmatized," a source in Marrakech said. This is the general climate of fear and everyone is suspicious of everyone. A mother has even attempted suicide when she was shown pictures of her teenage daughter. This information has been denied by a security source, who said that “people exaggerate, but it is true that this page has caused a lot of damage."
Since this incident, wielding a camera or mobile phone in public squares, cafes and other places open to the public has become suspicious. It took several months for Agadir to forget the scandal of Belgian journalist Philippe Servaty, whose trial is still not closed, seven years after the breakup of the case. Marrakech will surely need time to forget "Scoop Marrakech.”
"In the meantime, it is the duty of the authorities to better monitor the vicinity of schools and raise awareness among young girls, who are the primary targets of such sites,” noted a father from Marrakech. The public prosecutors in several cities have ordered investigations into several Facebook pages that have sprung up in recent weeks and operate in the same way as "Scoop Marrakech.”
SCOOP ; ... “This is what reinforces our belief that there have been accomplices,” a security source said. But this is not all. The perpetrator, or perpetrators, of “Scoop Marrakech” have been emulated.
ReplyDeleteSimilar pages bearing the same name have proliferated like mushrooms and reflect almost exactly the same content. That is what makes it difficult for both investigators and specialists of the regional laboratory for digital-trace analysis, a department established Dec. 16, 2012 in the police prefecture.
So why not head directly to the source and shut “Scoop Marrakech” down?
“Steps have been taken in this direction with Facebook and we are still awaiting their response," a police source in Marrakech said. But even this will not solve the problem since it is practically impossible to keep up with all these pages, unless an outright ban is imposed on accessing Facebook. To make matters worse, some users have taken over other websites, including YouTube, where the same photos scroll across the screen for several minutes at a time, along with the same scathing comments.
This has become a trend even beyond Marrakech. In fact, there have been countless Facebook pages with the word "scoop" linked to the name of a city, with a series of photos with commentary. What’s worse, the photos that are posted on foreign sites are presented as those of young Moroccans. Meanwhile, the case of "Scoop Marrakech" has not revealed all its secrets. The latest news is that M.A.Z. has denied everything, reneging on his initial statements to the police. He will remain under interrogation until a date is set for bring him to justice.
Fear over the city
The first victims of "Scoop Marrakech" have been going through hard times, with their reputations tarnished throughout the city.
"Some of these girls refuse to go to school or even out in the street for fear of being stigmatized," a source in Marrakech said. This is the general climate of fear and everyone is suspicious of everyone. A mother has even attempted suicide when she was shown pictures of her teenage daughter. This information has been denied by a security source, who said that “people exaggerate, but it is true that this page has caused a lot of damage."
Since this incident, wielding a camera or mobile phone in public squares, cafes and other places open to the public has become suspicious. It took several months for Agadir to forget the scandal of Belgian journalist Philippe Servaty, whose trial is still not closed, seven years after the breakup of the case. Marrakech will surely need time to forget "Scoop Marrakech.”
"In the meantime, it is the duty of the authorities to better monitor the vicinity of schools and raise awareness among young girls, who are the primary targets of such sites,” noted a father from Marrakech. The public prosecutors in several cities have ordered investigations into several Facebook pages that have sprung up in recent weeks and operate in the same way as "Scoop Marrakech.”
Read more: http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/culture/2013/02/morocco-facebook-scandal-marrakech.html#ixzz2O7FZafo6