Minn. school threat rumors spread quickly online
Minnesota schools are having to react when rumors of school violence spread quickly on social-networking sites like Facebook and Twitter.
When rumors circulated online that a shooting would happen at a pep fest, the principal at Simley High School in Inver Grove Heights canceled last month's event and ordered extra police.
The St. Paul Pioneer Press reports police and school administrators later said the threats were unfounded.
In Farmington, the high school principal planned to meet Thursday with parents after rumors spread on Facebook about a potential school shooting. Police say those threats were unfounded.
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Michael Kaiser, executive director of the National Cyber Security Alliance in Washington, D.C., compares Internet rumors to the old game of "telephone" - falsehoods get spread, and "things start to get out of hand."
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Information from: St. Paul Pioneer Press
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)