Facebook Refuses To Block Controversial Ask.Fm Site Despite Links To Cyber-Bullying

Facebook has decided against disabling an app from a controversial website that has been linked to the suicides of two teenage Irish girls.

The Irish Independent reports that Facebook has spoken out about the Ask.fm app and said that its safety development team had reviewed the app and its use of Facebook protocols and found that it is not in breach of the social networking website’s strict data sharing policies.

This means that Ask.fm will still be allowed to use Facebook as a basis for their app.

The investigation into the Latvian-based website and app was carried out after it was alleged that there were strong links between the app and the deaths last year of Ciara Pugsley from Leitrim and Erin Gallagher from Donegal.

Simon Milner, the director of Facebook, said that anyone using Ask.fm through Facebook enjoys all the safety benefits offered by Facebook.

Mr Milner acknowledged that some material on Ask.fm was “horrendous” but insisted that Facebook felt that teens had some protection if they used the website via the Facebook app rather than visiting the website independently.

However, Frances Fitzgerald, the Minister for Children is now in contact with the EU and Latvian Government over growing concerns about the link between cyber-bullying and Ask.fm.

Ask.fm allows users to post comment anonymously and has no reporting policy for cyber-bullying

“Safety is at the core of everything we do,” said Mr Milner.

“But the reality is that there is bullying in the world. There is bullying in schools. There is bullying online. We will never eradicate it. But what we want to do is to provide the tools to help manage and deal with it,” he added.

Facebook has now vowed to maintain its “zero-tolerance policy” for abusive content online.

It recently emerged that up to half of Irish youngsters aged eight and over have an account on Facebook. This is despite the fact that the website is restricted to those age 13 years and over.

Mr Milner admitted that underage users  are a major problem for the social media giant and revealed that in 75 per cent of cases where underage users had a Facebook account, they had gotten it with the help (and knowledge) of their parents.

“This is definitely a problem. It is very, very difficult for us to react when in cases parents are helping their children to lie about their age,” said Mr Milner.