Facebook blunder sees 21,000 guests agree to turn up to schoolgirl's birthday party



A girl of 14 who mistakenly made her address and phone number public on Facebook while telling friends of her birthday party ended up with 21,000 promised guests.

Rebecca Javeleau sparked a police operation over fears thousands would flock to her father’s modest flat in Harpenden, Hertfordshire.

Her mother used the social networking website to cancel the October 7 party by removing the page publicising the event.



Guarded: The street where Rebecca Javeleau lives in Harpenden, Herts. Police have stepped up patrols here in case crowds turn up looking to cause chaos

But other users created new groups informing users of the party and even circulated the girl’s picture

In response, police have been forced to step up patrols in Miss Javeleau’s street amid fears crowds will turn up and cause chaos.

Her mother, Rebecca Livesey, said she was furious, adding: ‘She will be lucky to get a birthday card from me after this.’

The girl, a pupil at Sir John Lawes School, had meant to invite 15 friends to her 15th birthday celebrations.

But, within hours of appearing online, the event escalated out of control and at one point 21,000 Facebook users had clicked the RSVP button.

Included on the guest list were fake profiles for celebrities such as Justin Bieber, Stephen Hawking, Susan Boyle, Stevie Wonder and Rick Astley

After Miss Livesey found out and took down the page, a series of spin-off groups including 'pre-party', ‘after-party’ and ‘hangover’ events sprung up on the web.

Several fake profiles were set up claiming to be Miss Javeleau. In the 'Info' section of one, a prankster has left the message: 'Her party will go down in history.'



Sergeant Lewis Ducket, of Hertfordshire Police, said: ‘We are aware of this and have been assured that the event is no longer taking place.

Fake profile: One page claiming to be Miss Javeleau's provides a party message

‘We will have officers on patrol in the area on October 7 to provide a reassuring presence and who will be able to deal with any issues, should they arise.’

The blunder raises more concerns about Facebook amid comcens that privacy settings are too complicated.

In February, a family’s home in Merseyside was trashed after a similar error was made by a teenager.

Miss Livesey, 40, who is separated from her two daughters father Duane Javeleau, criticised Facebook for its ‘unclear’ privacy settings.

The social worker told the Daily Telegraph: ‘They should make it obvious that an event that is created is not just going out to your friends, but everyone else on the site.’

A spokeswoman for Facebook said: 'When someone creates an event on Facebook it clearly says 'anyone can view and rsvp (public event)'. If you leave this checked then it is a public event so anyone can view the content and respond. These event settings are completely separate to your profile privacy settings.



'If users do see content on Facebook that they feel is inappropriate or unsuitable We have clear reporting links on every page, including event pages, for users to flag it. We also provide people with the tools to manage their own content so with events for example, there are clear tools to allow you to control who can see and respond to the event.

'Helping children to use the internet safely must be a partnership between service providers, parents and teachers. We have a lot of resources on our Safety Centre, including separate sections for teenagers and parents, to help people use Facebook responsibly and we encourage people to use these.



'Facebook also works with law enforcement where appropriate, and has set up a 24-hour helpline for the police to contact us if needed.'

