Rep. Weiner

A Seattle college student has found herself in the middle of an Internet kerfuffle after a lewd photo was allegedly sent to her from Rep. Anthony Weiner’s Twitter account over the weekend. The New York congressman claims that his Twitter account was hacked, causing the story to spread rapidly through social media channels and raising issues of online privacy and security.

The New York Post reports that Weiner has hired a lawyer to investigate the matter.

“He doesn’t know the person named by the hacker, and we will be consulting on what steps to take next,” a spokesman for the Congressman tells the Post. Meanwhile, Weiner has described the matter as a “prank.”

The New York Daily News posted a statement from Gennette Nicole Cordova, the Seattle college student who received the obscene Tweet. In it, she said that the incident has changed her life.

“The last 36 hours have been the most confusing, anxiety-ridden hours of my life. I’ve watched in sheer disbelief as my name, age, location, links to any social networking site I’ve ever used, my old phone numbers and pictures have been passed along from stranger to stranger.”

Cordova, who studies in Bellingham, continued:

“There have never been any inappropriate exchanges between Anthony Weiner and myself, including the tweet/picture in question, which had apparently been deleted before it reached me. I cannot answer the questions that I do not have the answers to. I am not sure whether or not this letter will alleviate any future harassment. I also do not have a clear understanding as to how or why exactly I am involved in this fiasco. I do know that my life has been seriously impacted by speculation and faulty allegations. My reputation has been called into question by those who lack the character to report the facts.”

Cordova continues to Tweet about the incident, lambasting the media and others. In one, she writes:

“This is teaching me an invaluable lesson about the importance of journalistic ethics and standards.”

Another debunks theories that she was having an affair with the Congressman:

“Even more ridiculous than the idea that I was having an affair with AW, is the theory that I helped set him up. Who comes up with this?”

Interestingly, while Cordova fights back on Twitter, Rep. Weiner’s has been relatively quiet on the matter on his Twitter account.

Is that the right social media move?

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