There's an interesting piece in today's NY Times about a debate taking place in the blogsphere over where to draw the line on harrassment, threats, and the like. I figure eventually, someone will end up dead, and then there is going to be new legislation. Which is a shame because if the authorities took this stuff seriously in the first place, we wouldn't need new legislation. There are already laws against this kind of behavior on the books.
But what I wonder is, what is it about the internet that causes obsessions and hatred? Or is it, that it's not the internet at all, but it's that there are a fair number of sick people in this world, and now they have a place to go to play out that sickness? That's what i have always wondered, because believe me, I have seen some shit.
Distraught over the threats and manipulated photos of her that were posted on other critical sites — including one that depicted her head next to a noose — Ms. Sierra canceled a speaking appearance at a trade show and asked the local police for help in finding the source of the threats. She also said that she was considering giving up blogging altogether.
In an interview, she dismissed the argument that cyberbullying is so common that she should overlook it. “I can’t believe how many people are saying to me, ‘Get a life, this is the Internet,’ ” she said. “If that’s the case, how will we ever recognize a real threat?”
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People who disagree with his politics frequently leave harassing comments on his site. But the situation reached a new low last month, when an anonymous opponent started a blog in Mr. Silverstein’s name that included photos of Mr. Silverstein in a pornographic context.
“I’ve been assaulted and harassed online for four years,” he said. “Most of it I can take in stride. But you just never get used to that level of hatred.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/09/technology/09blog.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin
But what I wonder is, what is it about the internet that causes obsessions and hatred? Or is it, that it's not the internet at all, but it's that there are a fair number of sick people in this world, and now they have a place to go to play out that sickness? That's what i have always wondered, because believe me, I have seen some shit.
Distraught over the threats and manipulated photos of her that were posted on other critical sites — including one that depicted her head next to a noose — Ms. Sierra canceled a speaking appearance at a trade show and asked the local police for help in finding the source of the threats. She also said that she was considering giving up blogging altogether.
In an interview, she dismissed the argument that cyberbullying is so common that she should overlook it. “I can’t believe how many people are saying to me, ‘Get a life, this is the Internet,’ ” she said. “If that’s the case, how will we ever recognize a real threat?”
-----------------snip---------------------------------------
People who disagree with his politics frequently leave harassing comments on his site. But the situation reached a new low last month, when an anonymous opponent started a blog in Mr. Silverstein’s name that included photos of Mr. Silverstein in a pornographic context.
“I’ve been assaulted and harassed online for four years,” he said. “Most of it I can take in stride. But you just never get used to that level of hatred.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/09/technology/09blog.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin
