Facebook has bluntly told the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration to stop using phony accounts and posing as real people in its investigations.

The actions by the DEA agent, Timothy Sinnigen, came to light because the woman he impersonated, Sondra Arquiett, is suing him and the government in federal court, saying the bogus profile violated her privacy and placed her in danger.

Law enforcement officers had arrested Arquiett in 2010, accusing her of being part of a drug ring. But evidence emerged that she was a bit player. She accepted responsibility and pled guilty, and a judge sentenced her to probation, which she has completed.

But while she was awaiting trial, Sinnigen created a Facebook page using her real name, which was then Sondra Prince. He posted photos from her phone, including one of her posing, legs spread, on the hood of a BMW and another of her with her son and niece, who were young children.



The entire letter is available for viewing at https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/1336541-facebook-letter-to-dea.html.

Source: BuzzFeed.