Police deemed that 36-year-old Shannon Jackson violated a protection order – similar to a restraining order – by using the site's feature to attract the attention of another user.
The order previously obtained by the woman who received the poke banned Jackson from "telephoning, contacting or otherwise communicating with the petitioner".
While police interventions to halt online harassment are not uncommon, this is believed to be one of the first cases of someone being detained for a poke – one of the most rudimentary forms of virtual communication.
The feature, which allows Facebook users to make themselves known to other users of the site without sending a message, is commonly used by members to say hello to their friends, or to flirt with people they do not know.
Police in Hendersonville, Tennessee have obtained screen grabs of the victim's Facebook page showing evidence of the poke. Jackson, who lives in Hendersonville, faces up to a year in prison and fine of $2,500 if she is found guilty of breaching the protection order. She is due to appear in court later this month.
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