we Facebook refuses to remove deceased woman’s account By Tanya Colledge, Staff Reporter hen a relative passes away, the last thing you \ \ | would expect or want to see is that person suddenly updating their Facebook status. Unfortunately, this was the case for a girl in Nova Scotia, whose mother’s account had been hacked by a virus on the popular social networking site. 15-year-old Shelby Breimer lost her mother nine months ago after a long battle with breast and lung cancer; but when Shelby logged onto Facebook a couple of weeks ago, she was surprised by an unsettling message from her mother, Helen, boasting about a product called CleansneProX. “I’m 8-1/2 pounds lighter thanks to the FREE trial pack of this new colon cleanser that I got! Visit PurgeColon.net to get yours!” read the fake testimonial. It appeared to have been updated using a Facebook cell phone application that Shelby’s mother never had. Similar complaints were made from Facebook users, whose accounts had also been hacked and were sending messages and updating statuses similar to Helen’s. Helen’s friends and family complained to the company in question, CleansneProX, who promised it would remove the ad and post an apology on Facebook. Not only was there was no apology, but a new ad shortly appeared on Helen Breimer’s page. Shelby Breimer demanded that the account be shut down by the social networking site to prevent such activities from reoccurring. She was denied due to Facebook’s policy for deceased users which states that accounts are to be memorialized; sensitive information removed and set so that only confirmed friends can see the profile or find the person in a search; the wall to be kept so that friends and family can leave posts in remembrance. Social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter have been the recent targets of many hackers and spammers who have begun to attack by means other than traditional email and websites. The Breimer’s are now considering taking legal action against CleanseProX and Facebook to try and put an end to such scams that are not only invasions of privacy, but potentially devastating to the friends and family members of the affected accounts. Shelby Breimer Douglas College Wrap-Up By Kristina Mameli Douglas joins the Vancouver 2010 Community Contributor Program Douglas has joined the Vancouver 2010 Community Contributor Program, a project commissioned by VANOC to provide teachers and students with an opportunity to have special projects and activities related to the Games showcased on the official website. Teachers who submit the work of their students will receive official 2010 certificates and mementos for their schools. All submissions will also be entered in a grand prize draw in February. For more info on the project check out http:// www.vancouver2010.com. Exam schedule posted online Douglas’s Registrar’s Office has posted an online exam schedule for Fall 2009 exams. For the schedule, check: http://registrar.douglas.bc.ca/exam.htm. You could win $100 Douglas’ Student Services is offering $100 to be put towards tuition or bookstore costs to a lucky student. Any current student that fills out a five-question survey is eligible for the draw. Find the survey at: http://tinyurl.com/yhqrgcd. Fin Donnelly makes sustainability a priority NDP candidate opposes HST, wants Evergreen Line completed By Trevor Dore awn Black’s resignation as the D Member of Parliament for the New Westminster-Coquitlam riding has forced a federal by-election, which will take place November 9. Fin Donnelly is the New Democrat candidate in the riding, and The Other Press had the opportunity to get together with him and get his thoughts on the issues. After seven years at the municipal level, Fin Donnelly “felt the time was right” to move to federal politics. Being a local candidate, born in New Westminster, raised in Port Moody and now living and working in Coquitlam has connected Donnelly with the riding and his many years working as a Coquitlam city councillor have made him intricately aware of the unique local issues. Many conversations with residents have yielded a familiar response about the impacts of the Harmonized Sales Tax on families, seniors, small businesses and students. “Seven per cent will make a difference,” Donnelly said. He plans to address concerns about the HST as well as concerns about transit, affordable housing and the environment. In regards to students, Donnelly is focused on reducing the debt load that students accumulate over the course of post- secondary studies. Donnelly wants young people to get involved in higher education and feels they should be supported in making that decision. “Students should not be left with a massive debt at the beginning of their career,” he added. Donnelly believes that the HST will also impact the amount of jobs available to 4 students and acknowledges that B.C. has the lowest minimum wage in the country. Donnelly and the New Democrats favour higher minimum wages and are even looking to implement a national minimum wage. Douglas College’s New Westminster campus is located close to the SkyTrain and the proposed Evergreen line would link the David Lam campus. As a Member of Parliament, Donnelly would be committed to raising the voice to get adequate funding and get the Evergreen line in place. “The Evergreen line is way overdue,” he said. He is also focused on increasing transit service in the riding. He feels efficient and effective mass transit system provides the ability to move people around in a climate- friendly manner and is key to a sustainable community. Conducting matters in an eco-friendly manner is essential to Donnelly, who is known for his environmental track record. He swam the 1,400 kilometre length of the Fraser River twice to raise awareness about environmental issues. Donnelly is also executive director of the Rivershed Society of BC, a charitable organization dedicated to protecting the health and biodiversity of the Fraser River. Donnelly says he is committed to the environment and sustainable communities and will fight to ensure that environmental issues are addressed. The by-election for New Westminster- Coquitlam will be held on November 9, although advance polling will be available for those who cannot vote that day. Keep reading The Other Press for more candidate profiles in the coming weeks. 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