The Federal Trade Commission says the operators of a website called Jerk.com are the ones behaving badly, PCMag.com reported.
The commission said Monday the website harvested personal information from Facebook to create profiles labeling people a "Jerk" or "not a Jerk", according to PCMag.com.
Jerk and its operator John Fanning told consumers they could "use Jerk to manage your reputation and resolve disputes with people who you are in conflict with," according to the complaint, PCMag.com reported.
Jerk allegedly charged consumers $25 to email the company's customer service department, PCMag.com reported. Consumers were then told they could pay $30 to revise the online profile but got nothing in return.
The site also made consumers believe the content had been created by other users, not the company, according to PCMag.com.
The FTC estimates that Jerk LLC, the Boston-area based parent company behind the site, and John Fanning, its operator, created profiles for more than 73 million people between 2009 and 2013, including children, PCMag.com reported.
The document also claimed that, in 2012, only 22 people subscribed to the site and its total revenue was about $3,000, according to PCMag.com.
The FTC is seeking an order that would bar the company from such deceptive practices, prohibit them from using improperly obtained personal information and require them to delete the information, according to PCMag.com. A hearing is scheduled to begin before an administrative law judge in January of 2015.
"In today's interconnected world, people are especially concerned about their reputation online, and this deceptive scheme was a brazen attempt to exploit those concerns," Jessica Rich, director of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection, said in a statement, according to PCMag.com.
Facebook said in a statement that it applauds the FTC's work and will continue to work with the commission as it pursues Jerk.com and others that abuse its service, PCMag.com reported.
