In March 2022, a woman won a settlement after a struggle.
It all started a year and a half ago. An SNS account pretending to be myself was opened, and in fact, he posted multiple unrooted and derogatory posts. I was terribly problematic by my employer, and although I had just started working, I had to quit.
When I asked a lawyer to request the disclosure of sender information, the perpetrator was found to be a friend. The motive was too short-circuited and self-centered.
A woman who recalls, “It was so painful that I was about to die.” She heard the whole story.
From my boss, “Is this you?”
“I lost my job after being spoofed on Twitter.”
A woman in her thirties who is engaged in web design work under the name of “Narusawa Bashiko” posted on Twitter in July 2021.
After graduating from university, Narusawa became an elementary school teacher and became a freelancer to work on illustration production, which she had always liked. In the fall of 2020, I was introduced by an acquaintance and decided to change jobs to a different industry. Since his workplace is far away, he moved and wasn’t busy preparing to buy a computer or get a qualification.
However, the new life soon collapsed. One day she was called by her boss and suddenly struck her smartphone. “Is this you?” The screen showed an unfamiliar Twitter account. For some reason, her own real name and face photo are registered.
Looking at the post column, I was surprised. This is because there were a series of unfounded and derogatory writings that could be perceived as “I couldn’t eat in my creative activities, so I sold spring to my fans and got money.”
Opening an account was a time when I was just about to get a job, as if I had foreseen it. He was the only follower of his official account, and he even added the company name to the tweet with a hashtag.
The company reacted sensitively. Since it is an industry where “reputation is life”, my boss tells me that it is difficult to continue employment. Narusawa was forced to retire voluntarily.
Identify the other party by spending 400,000 yen, even the wall of time
In order to identify the person who impersonated, Mr. Narusawa contracted with a lawyer and proceeded with a request for disclosure of sender information with defamation. It happened a week after I quit my job.
“I knew that the disclosure request was a race against time, and if I was late for a day or two, the log of the provider (connector) would disappear. So I didn’t have the motivation to wake up, but I had to contact a lawyer. ….. was the situation. “
First, I asked Twitter to disclose the “IP address,” which is the address on the Internet, and I was notified in about a month. Next, I requested the contractor information from the provider, and about 7 months later, I found out the name and address. The perpetrator was an educational friend. It cost 400,000 yen to specify.
In the summer of 2009, a civil suit was filed for payment of a compensation fee of approximately 2.68 million yen, and a settlement was reached in March 2010. The perpetrator allowed full payment.
After the proceedings, the other party immediately proposed a settlement, but the main issue was the disclosure of the damage. Mr. Narusawa has a strong desire to spread the word to the world because he wanted to eliminate people who do the same thing, not for the purpose of degrading the other party. It was decided by the clause.
“The way of life has changed a lot since that day.”
During the proceedings, the perpetrator was asked by Mr. Narusawa for his motivation, saying, “I had the feeling that Mr. Narusawa in a group of friends favored a specific individual, and I didn’t like it.” The answer was in writing.
The selfish feelings of damage escalated, and when I learned about Mr. Narusawa’s job change, he said, “I started to wonder if it was suitable for the workplace, and I wrote it with a light feeling.”
He spelled “I’ve done a lot of work” and regretted that it could lead to unemployment. I was hoping that I wouldn’t lose my job. ”
Although there were words of apology, according to Mr. Narusawa, he refused to request disclosure from the provider, saying, “I didn’t lie because I was saying it.”
Mr. Narusawa said, “It’s so terrible that I haven’t done anything wrong, and if I don’t do something wrong, I’ll blame myself.” I wonder if I couldn’t do it. ” “I think the way of life has changed a lot since that day.”
Even now that day is a flashback
He recalls the mental situation at that time, saying, “It was as painful as if I were dead.”
“The moment I lost my job, I actually experienced the feeling that my feet were collapsing. I wondered if someone who couldn’t see me would drop me at that moment when I became happy in the future, and everything was an enemy. I was suspicious of all my friends because I was in such a state, so even though my friends were worried and called out on LINE, I was reflexively suspicious and deleted it on the spot saying “This person is impersonating”. I’ve done it once in a while. “
Even now, it is said that the events of the day when the workplace was chased at the moment of a flashback flashed back.
“All the companies I’m working with are kind and happy, but sometimes when I have an interview with my boss, I can’t stop palpitations. When I was shown the screen of my cell phone, I said,” This is your impersonation, isn’t it? “?”. “You don’t have to come from tomorrow.” At that time, I pretend to go to the bathroom and take a deep breath to calm my feelings. “
“Maybe it was because I used my photos to sell colors, but I was afraid to wear skirts and make-up. Something changed. Maybe. If you go out fashionably, you’ll be faced with distorted emotions and you’ll be scared … There are many things that won’t come back anymore. “
“Victim and perpetrator are two sides of the same coin”
Mr. Narusawa reported on Twitter the history of the perpetrator when the identity of the perpetrator was known.
He told the other party that he wanted to fight resolutely, and he was worried that he might run out.
“It takes nearly a year to be identified, and I may be mentally ill due to anxiety about re-employment, and I may not have it until it is resolved. If the proceedings do not go well, there is a risk that everything will be thrown to the Internet. There was. I know the other person’s name and place of employment, and it may be an overstatement to say that I have a professional life as an educator, but I can end it. It’s very scary. You can do the same thing as the other person and lose your job. When things went wrong, I thought that was the only thing I couldn’t do and publicly declared that I wouldn’t take revenge. “
Narusawa tweeted, “I don’t want lynching. When I think of myself as justice, people are surprisingly cruel. Victims and perpetrators are two sides of the same coin, and it’s just a moment.” I was calling to speak to myself.
“Because I was a teacher, the faces of the children come to my mind. What do the children think when they see me revenge? Obviously, there are real people on the other side of the screen. So it’s not okay because everyone is throwing stones. You can’t do that sad thing. “
“But I don’t have enough money to live for years, so I have to get a new job right away. I have to identify the person who impersonated. It was hard, but there were people who supported me. I’m glad I didn’t go to. It’s also thanks to the kind people that I didn’t have to burn for revenge. I don’t want to make them sad. “
On Twitter, he wrote, “I hope that those who do cruel treatment to people who can’t see their faces will be discouraged. May they be the courage of those who cry and fall asleep while being hurt. I hope that the sad conflict will disappear.” ..
Regarding the future, he says, “I will cherish the people who will not abandon me.”
“I wanted to do a creative job as a freelancer, so I’m working hard for someone who believes in me. Some of my friends haven’t abandoned me, and they knew the situation and gave me a job. There were a lot of people. I want to live toward them. “
(J-CAST News Editorial Department Ryo Tanimoto)