Controversial condom ad masquerades as Facebook friend request

How shocked would a male user of social networking giant Facebook feel if he gets a friend request from his "future son?"

 

A condom manufacturer has been disguising an ad as a Facebook friend request, a tech site reported over the weekend.

 

Mashable said the friend request is part of an advertising campaign from Olla Condoms, whose unsolicited friend requests have attracted much attention.

 

But it also noted this is also a violation of Facebook policy.

 

 

The Mashable article cited the “Unexpected Babies” campaign from Brazilian agency Age Isobar: Take a male user’s name, create a new profile using that name with “Jr.” tacked on the end, and send a friend request to the unsuspecting user.

 

"When he visits his virtual son’s profile, he sees a condom ad from Brazil-based Olla," Mashable said.

 

However, it also noted Facebook expressly forbids fake profiles, and that the condom ad campaign appears to violate several policies found under “Registration and Account Security” in Facebook’s Terms.

 

"While fake profiles can sometimes entertain, they more often than not lead to unwanted consequences. For example, earlier this year, one woman unsuccessfully used a fake profile to dig up dirt on her husband — and instead found herself in a fake-murder plot," it said. — TJD, GMA News