A 31-year-old man has apologized to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg after a court ordered the man, Pradeep Manukonda, to stay 300 yards away from Zuckerberg due to a series of increasingly disturbing Facebook messages as well as attempts at real-life contact.

A hearing for Manukonda to address the stalking claims is scheduled in Santa Clara County for February 22nd. Manukonda is said to have been intercepted at Zuckerberg’s home attempting to speak with him, and has also tried to contact Zuckerberg at “several” Facebook offices. He left this desperate plea on Zuckerberg’s sister Randi’s wall:

Dear Randi
please respond, before its get too late…
I am sorry to bother you, which is not at all concern to you…
every second is precious to me…please understand the urgency and do the needful thing…please
respond
I really need your help…my dear sister
Thanks

After that, he left this message on Mark’s wall:

Dear Mark
I am completely tired and exhausted…I am extremely sorry for bothering you at early hours
Please mark…time is really running out for me…please help me. I really need your help…please respond in time
before it gets too late for us…
I owe entire my life at your service…please help me, then i am ready to die for you…these are not just
the words…these are coming from my heart…
Please understand my pain…Once again, i am extremely sorry for everything…please understand my situation
Please understand the urgency…time is really running out me…
Please do the need ful thing
Your truly
Pradeep

Manukonda reported wanted cash from Zuckerberg, and has been ordered to stay away not only from the Facebook CEO but his sister, and girlfriend Priscilla Chan.

Mark Zuckerberg gets restraining order against Facebook ‘stalker’ Pradeep Manukonda is a post from: The Inquisitr

Add this to the list of potential Facebook dangers: life-threatening asthma attacks.

An 18-year-old man, whose ex-girlfriend Facebook blocked him and then friended several other dudes she could have totally been boning, was discovered by doctors to be experiencing Facebook induced asthma attacks each time he used the service to surreptitiously view her profile. (He had to create a “false identity” to access information like her profile.)

The report in British medical journal The Lancet indicates that the patient’s symptoms directly correlated with his activity on the site relating to his former flame:

“The sight of this seemed to induce dyspnoea, which happened repeatedly on the patient accessing her profile,” the doctors wrote… The patient was advised to measure his breathing capacity before and after going online, and indeed, his “peak expiratory flow” fell as much as 20% “post-Facebook,” according to the report.

The LA Times concludes that there “is a cure” for the symptoms, which includes “staying off the site.” The teen was treated by a psychiatrist, who helped him overcome his Facebook-stalking impulses, thus eliminating the related, stress-induced episodes. But, doctors caution, medical professionals should be on the lookout for Facebook-related symptoms of stress:

The doctors noted that “psychological stress is a recognized cause of asthma attacks,” and that Facebook could present “a new source of psychological stress” for many people, including those with asthma. As a result, they warn, physicians should be on the look-out for Facebook-induced asthma attacks.

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Lancet: Facebook triggered asthma attack in previously asymptomatic teen is a post from: The Inquisitr

A self-described “internet troll” has been sentenced to 18 weeks in jail in Britain after he used Facebook to post obscene messages to memorial pages including that of cancer-striken reality star Jade Goody.

36-year-old Colm Coss of Manchester was convicted on charges related to sending “malicious communications that are grossly offensive.” In addition to trolling the Facebook memorial for Goody, Coss also posted offensive comments to a page dedicated to a young boy who died in a dog mauling attack. In those two incidents, the unemployed man stated on the social networking service that he had committed sexual acts with the deceased’s corpses.

Coss might have gotten away with it, but he bragged to neighbors on his street that he was an “internet troll,” one of whom forwarded pictures Coss sent to local police. Coss eventually admitted to the harrassment, leading to his arrest. In court, the defendant was chided for lack of remorse:

Chairwoman of the bench Pauline Salisbury said: “You preyed on bereaved families who were suffering trauma and anxiety.

“We know you gained pleasure and you aren’t sorry for what you did.”

The defense presented the idea that Coss engaged in the behavior due to “mental health issues,” but he was not spared jail time.

Man jailed for ‘Facebook trolling’ in England is a post from: The Inquisitr

Facebook is not only a site where you can connect with friends and family while taking in a game of FrontierVille, it’s also a complex network that spans the entire world. So what happens when someone stalks you on Facebook, while sending you disturbing messages? In the past the outcome was typically a slap on the wrist, possibly a misdemenour charge, but that could soon change. The new outcome? Federal Interstate stalking charges if the person that’s stalking you lives in another state.

Law & Order: Criminal Intent star Kathryn Erbe is currently involved in a 2 year stalking case in which deranged fan Charles Nagel not only visited her shooting location in New York, but also harassed her daughter and brother through the popular Facebook service and MySpace. Prosecutors are now determined to have Nagel charged with interstate stalking, a charge that brings with it up to 5-years in prison and a felony count on the guilty person’s record.

While Nagel’s travel to New York city is at the center of the controversy, a guilty verdict with Federal charges attached could give enough precedence for further interstate charges to be filed against Facebook followers who have chosen to stalk their prey online across state lines. The question will become, where is the line drawn between stalking someone from another state in person versus over the internet. Enough news of suicides by harassment and fights caused by text messages have arisen lately that the social impact during the outcome of this case could stem beyond simple misdemeanors charges.

While the case is far from determined, it will be interesting to see how social media plays it’s part in the trial, a guilty verdict in a case dominated by social media mentions could help form social network policing policies for years to come.

What do you think, should Facebook, MySpace and other social networking harassment be tolerated more than traditional stalking or should these crazy online stalkers face harsher penalties as they use modern means to attack their obsessions?

Stalking An Old Flame On Facebook? How About Some Federal Charges! is a post from: The Inquisitr

An unnamed 16-year-old boy from Arkadelphia, Arkansas is suing his mother for breaking into his Facebook account and like, totally embarrassing the hell out of him.

Denise New’s son brought action against her last month and requested a “no contact order” after New allegedly broke into the boy’s Facebook account and posted “slanderous” things about her son. New is charged with harassment, and court documents allege the meddling mother hacked into the kid’s account, posted “details that include slander about his personal life,” and then to add insult to injury, changed his password. Burn.

New is pretty unrepentant about her actions, and offers this explanation:

“I read things on his Facebook about how he had gone to Hot Springs one night and was driving 95 m.p.h. home because he was upset with a girl and it was his friend that called me and told me about all this that prompted me to even actually start really going through his Facebook to see what was going on.”

New says that she has the right to monitor her son, who is in the custody of a grandparent, through Facebook:

“You’re within your legal rights to monitor your child and to have a conversation with your child on Facebook whether it’s his account, or your account or whoever’s account.  It’s crazy to me that we’re even having this interview.”

She’s also setting her sights higher than just interfering in her own son’s life, hoping that the case will set a precedent so that all parents can legally shame their children on the internet:

“Oh yeah, I’m going to fight it.  If I have to go even higher up, I’m going to.  I’m not gonna let this rest.  I think this could be a precedent-setting moment for parents.”

If you’re a parent, do you think it’s okay to use social networking sites to spy on and shame your children? Is the harassment charge justified?

[KATV via CNET]

16-year-old sues mom for Facebook harassment is a post from: The Inquisitr

According to the peeps at OK!, who have apparently decided that Facebook stalking is an equally good way to get the dirt, Samantha Ronson has changed her relationship status. But that’s not all! Her newly-updated profile comes complete with one of those pics of her and Lindsay Lohan in Disneyland. OK! continues:

“According to friends of the DJ, who has been spotted smooching and embracing the 22-year-old actress several times in recent months, has updated her lovelife status on the online social networking site from ‘single’ to ‘in a relationship.’”

I suppose this could mean something, except for the fact that a good chunk of my Facebook friends are in “relationships” with their gal-pals, too. All-in-all, I want to read a cover story or exclusive or I’m just not buying it! Facebook stalking just doesn’t cut it.

Let’s Facebook-Stalk Sam Ronson is a post from: The Inquisitr