I've been reading "Sepia Mutiny" for a while. It's one of my favorite blogs, and I've developed an online friendship with the founder of the blog, Anna. She's a great writer, a sweet human being, and I cherish the web empire she's created.
This morning she pointed out a blog that had been created dedicated entirely to attacking her, and her friends. I vehemently support the First Amendment, and the rights of all people to say the most offensive things on Earth. When trolls drive by my website spraying their hate, I let it stand, that is how firm I believe in the right of people to speak freely.
So I was saddened for a long time by the case of Kathy Sierra. She is an author and prominent technology blogger who woke up one morning to find that some one/people had created a blog filled with sexual menace and a few death threats. It was harrowing enough that she canceled speaking engagements and withdrew into her house.
Threatening rape and death against a person is clearly not protected speech, and I continue to hope that the perpetrators get punished.
All of this brings me back to Anna.
I still support the troll's right to speak however he or she wishes to speak, but I wrestle with this question:
Are we near a point where this action is going to cross into something more dangerous?
The amount of hate, anger, and pathology that is required to go through this effort is fairly large. large enough that I worry it's going to spill over into some other actions that will physically threaten, if not Anna, then certainly others around the mysterious blogger.
Is there a time when trolling crosses the line? Clearly, that line was crossed by those attacking Kathy Sierra. What about those attacking Anna, and the others Sepia Mutiny? I don't know. I don't know if they've gone too far. On a purely legal standing, I don't think I could say they have. On a personal level, I absolutely believe they have, and my inability to reconcile the two only compounds my worry.
I want to point to the shootings at VA Tech and say "See, no one spotted the warning signs and they were CLEARLY THERE! And here we are again!" But then, I'm probably being alarmist.
So when does trolling cross the line? Can the use of free speech done by trolls fall into a similar category of unprotected speech, like libel and slander? And where do we draw that line?
[UPDATE]
Since I started this piece on Friday, the mysterious blogger has added two new entries exposing the real identity of one of the other Sepia Mutiny bloggers, and have revealed further personal details about Anna. This has only served to multiply my worry.
God youre a tool
I have read the other blog, and I don't see why it makes you concerned that it is going to cross into something dangerous. Anna and her groupies express their judgmental opinions on SM and elsewhere, so how is this blogger different? Just because he/she criticizes and points out the ridiculous nature of "mutineers" in a humorous way? Get a clue.
I can tell you exactly why I'm concerned. The author of the other blog is putting a lot of work into publishing his misogyny and racism, and further dig up information on each of the people that he attacks.
That's above and beyond the normal efforts your standard troll will go through to attack someone, and it makes me worry that the author's very very sick.
Plain and simple.
My god why are you so upset by the amount of work put into this site. It's fairly simple, idiots like you create blogs everyday!...Allegations of racism/misogyny are hilarious at best, nefarious at worst, coming from you, white boy enamored w/ exotic indian girl. Wait till the WIFEY finds out, sketcho.
Yes, whatever will I do when my wife finds out that I've made a friend on the internet. She will be so darned mad she might actually frown...or something.
Pft.
Anyhoo...
You're a married man, so just grow up and deal with real life crisis. So pathetic that you engage in some stupid and totally not-so-adult-conversations.
Spend time with your wife!
You're a married man, so just grow up and deal with real life crisis. So pathetic that you engage in some stupid and totally not-so-adult-conversations.
Spend time with your wife!
Well, Maurice, I'm with you.
I think these fools have outed people who did not want to be outed, and that's dangerous enough. It's dangerous to their jobs, it's dangerous because it allows someone else to try and find out more about their identities...it's dangerous because they just plain didn't want it.
I've had plenty of fun on the Internet, but I've never once tried to out someone. I've ridiculed people and mocked their idiocy mercilessly, but I do not condone attacking someone's livelihood, nor seeking to expose them or their family members, or their place of work, or putting up pictures of them.
That would be illegal.
The law takes a while to get rolling, but it's fairly inexorable once it does. Enough said on that point.
In the meantime, to anyone who doesn't have the balls to speak person-to-person to me, or anyone else, and hides behind anonymity: it really doesn't take much to see you for what you are. Cowardly.
Harmony,
I'm confused as to which "real life crisis" you're speaking of. I guess it doesn't really matter because there isn't one going on in my life right now.
And thank you for showing concern for me and my relationship with my wife. I work very hard at my family, including my wife, and that's why you'll very rarely see me online in the evenings. Once I'm at home after work, I don't go online.
I have better things to do then.
"Are we near a point where this action is going to cross into something more dangerous?"
As I commented at ANNA's, I went through something similar recently so took actions to tighten privacy surrounding my online empire.
The concern sets in when a commenter goes from making offhand "I don't like you or this post" remarks once in a while to hating you so much they find out who your employer is, where you live, make death threats and obsessively shoot hate at you on their own blog. When one person spends copious amounts of time hating someone else and makes that hate known, it's called stalking and is a huge cause for concern. No blogger has to fear for his/her own life, security and peace of mind. And the fear comes from not knowing if/when someone will do something harmful.