MONTREAL -- A Quebec man wants to file a class action against Facebook in the wake of a recent wave of denunciations of sexual misconduct on social networks.

The request to authorize a class action was filed Tuesday in Quebec Superior Court in Montreal.

The applicant is identified only by the initials C.D. He claims to have a name so common in Quebec that it is impossible to know if it is he who is the target of online allegations, the details of which are not mentioned in the application.

The Canadian Press has obtained a copy of the request, and in it C.D. says he wants to bring the action on behalf of all people whose reputations have been damaged as a result of the association of their names - or details allowing their identification - with what he alleges are defamatory publications.

In his application, the man lashes out at those behind several pages that anonymously post allegations of harassment or sexual assault through social media platforms like Facebook or Instagram.

C. D. claims he saw his name on one of the pages in question

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 22, 2020.