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Illinois politician resigns after fighting social network fakes

Ron Sandack's troubles with Facebook and Twitter led him to question his stay in office.

AP Photo/Seth Perlman

Politicians tend to quit over scandals or sheer public outcry, but fake social networking accounts? That's new. Illinois House representative Ron Sandack has resigned after spending weeks battling with "cyber security issues" -- namely, people creating multiple impersonating Facebook and Twitter accounts. The fight made him "re-evaluate" his role in office and whether or not it was worth missing "important family events" to be there, he says.

There won't be much of a power vacuum, since many already expect young up-and-comer David Olsen to take Sandack's place. Still, it shows just how much grief online impersonation can cause. If problems with your accounts are important enough that they could make you question your career in politics, social networking is no longer a nice-to-have feature.