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Facebook in ‘stabbing game’ controversy
Jul 28th 2008 at 14:03 by Tim Ingham
Facebook is in hot water with anti-knife crime campaigners over a new game that allows user to ‘stab’ each other.
The application allows members to send a knife icon to friends, with accompanying text that informs them they have been ‘shanked’ – a street slang term for ‘knifed’.
According to Marketing Week, the use of the term ‘has led to claims that the game is specifically targeted at teenagers’.
Anti-knife campaigners Urban Concepts says it "completely condemns" the game.
The controversy is found in the Superpoke! Application, made by US software company Slide.com and hosted by Facebook.
The knife icon now has now been removed from the application.
A Realist
Jul 28th 2008 | 18:52
Turns out it's only SuperPoke - one of the most common "do anything to anyone" applications on facebook. Essentially it's the same as posting a message on someones page saying "I have stabbed you" anyone can type whatever they like - as long as you add them as a friend first.
Calling SuperPoke a stabbing game is similar to calling Wii Fit a bludgeoning someone with a board game - sure it's possible to do it with the provided gear but you'd have to be unhinged in the first place to think it up then do it to friends.
Anyone suggesting that they would not like it done to them should either sort out their privacy settings or their circle of friends - you can't SuperPoke random strangers.
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