[Going Forward]

Is the European Commission in Ireland currently participating in an official capacity on Boards.ie as TalkToEu John?

There was a previous official EC representative with the very similar username of TalkToEu: John.

[oscarBravo]

If he was posting in an official capacity he would have the "Organisation: Name" format and his username would be in red.

I'll look into this, but it's off-topic for the EU forum so I'm moving it to the Help Desk.

[Going Forward]

Originally Posted by oscarBravo

If he was posting in an official capacity he would have the "Organisation: Name" format and his username would be in red.

I'll look into this, but it's off-topic for the EU forum so I'm moving it to the Help Desk.

If it is an employee of the European Commission surely they would be expected to make it clear that they are posting in a professional capacity (as an official pro EU lobbyist,) in the same way as any other suspected party lackies would?

Recent radio discussions outlining how party political activists and professional lobbyists attempt to "throw" political interviews via texts, emails etc would make one suspicious of the bona fides of any poster adopting a variation of a previously verified username.

And if its someone attempting to impersonate the previous official TalkToEu boards-verified representative, that throws up more questions as to their motivation for doing so.

[Tom Dunne]

Originally Posted by Going Forward

If it is an employee of the European Commission surely they would be expected to make it clear that they are posting in a professional capacity (as an official pro EU lobbyist,) in the same way as any other suspected party lackies would?

Anybody posting in an official capacity needs to have their credentials verified with Boards.ie HQ. Until they have done this, assume they are not legitimate.

Originally Posted by Going Forward

And if its someone attempting to impersonate the previous official TalkToEu boards-verified representative, that throws up more questions as to their motivation for doing so.

Remember, anyone can create an account on Boards.ie, using whatever name they like (as long as it falls within the Boards.ie Terms and Conditions).

And having looked at the previous rep - I would not be at all convinced that that account was legit either.

[Going Forward]

Whilst I understand that there is no way to prevent someone registering a subtle variation of someone else's username, if an obvious example is exposed, as in this case, should it be allowed to continue?

To do so IMO could weaken the value of the credibility offered by having TalkTo representatives accredited and verified, and, their reputation could ultimately be damaged by the continued existence of any similarly named users posting either maliciously or inaccurately in the same subject areas.

[Spear]

Originally Posted by Going Forward

Whilst I understand that there is no way to prevent someone registering a subtle variation of someone else's username, if an obvious example is exposed, as in this case, should it be allowed to continue?

It wasn't, the impostor account was banned already.

[Going Forward]

Originally Posted by Spear

It wasn't, the impostor account was banned already.

OK, thanks; I note that the user is banned and their last activity was on 1/5/12.

Clarification received/Resolved.