On Wednesday, March 10, 2010, TODAY aired a report about the death of Ashleigh Hall. In response, Barry Schnitt, a spokesman for Facebook, issued the following statement:
Nothing is more important than the safety of our users and we are deeply saddened by the tragic death of Ashleigh Hall. It is not clear why Peter Chapman, an individual investigated for at least six violent sexual crimes, was free to hurt another person or why police may have lost track of him for a year before sending an alert. It is clear that this case is a painful reminder to use caution when contacted online by people you do not know. We hope parents and teachers will encourage education on safe online decisions and the use of Facebook’s settings that can protect from unwanted online contact.
