cyber-terrorism strikes women bloggers - UPDATE
From WashingtonPost.com:
Sexual Threats Stifle Some Female Bloggers
By Ellen Nakashima
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, April 30, 2007
A female freelance writer who blogged about the pornography industry was threatened with rape. A single mother who blogged about "the daily ins and outs of being a mom" was threatened by a cyber-stalker who claimed that she beat her son and that he had her under surveillance. Kathy Sierra, who won a large following by blogging about designing software that makes people happy, became a target of anonymous online attacks that included photos of her with a noose around her neck and a muzzle over her mouth.
And from Slate, this, regarding Kathy Sierra:
Fear of Blogging
Why women shouldn't apologize for being afraid of threats on the Web.
By Dahlia Lithwick
Posted Friday, May 4, 2007, at 7:20 PM ET
...
Some suggested that Sierra deserved to have her throat slit and to be suffocated, sexually violated, and hanged. Among the things Sierra wrote as she folded up her blogging tent: "I have cancelled all speaking engagements. I am afraid to leave my yard. I will never feel the same. I will never be the same."
Ms Sierra also had her Social Security Number and her Address published by an anonymous commenter of her blog.
05/11/07 UPDATE - I have since learned that some bloggers of questionable intent will stalk "mommy blogs," capture, and repost pictures found on those blogs in a manner that's less than flattering.
I'm pretty sure "the framers" didn't have this in mind.
.
Sexual Threats Stifle Some Female Bloggers
By Ellen Nakashima
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, April 30, 2007
A female freelance writer who blogged about the pornography industry was threatened with rape. A single mother who blogged about "the daily ins and outs of being a mom" was threatened by a cyber-stalker who claimed that she beat her son and that he had her under surveillance. Kathy Sierra, who won a large following by blogging about designing software that makes people happy, became a target of anonymous online attacks that included photos of her with a noose around her neck and a muzzle over her mouth.
And from Slate, this, regarding Kathy Sierra:
Fear of Blogging
Why women shouldn't apologize for being afraid of threats on the Web.
By Dahlia Lithwick
Posted Friday, May 4, 2007, at 7:20 PM ET
...
Some suggested that Sierra deserved to have her throat slit and to be suffocated, sexually violated, and hanged. Among the things Sierra wrote as she folded up her blogging tent: "I have cancelled all speaking engagements. I am afraid to leave my yard. I will never feel the same. I will never be the same."
Ms Sierra also had her Social Security Number and her Address published by an anonymous commenter of her blog.
05/11/07 UPDATE - I have since learned that some bloggers of questionable intent will stalk "mommy blogs," capture, and repost pictures found on those blogs in a manner that's less than flattering.
I'm pretty sure "the framers" didn't have this in mind.
.
posted by The Sarcasticynic at 5/05/2007 07:45:00 AM
3 Comments:
This is pretty effed up. I'd read about Sierra's problem before. There are some real sickos out there. Someone once asked me...repeatedly why I didn't show pictures of my wife on my blog or talk about her more often. The answer? For just the reasons that scared Sierra and the others. It's a damn shame that a woman can't voice opinions on the Web without feeling like they're gonna die for it. I wish the A-holes making the threats could be found, dragged by their testicles to a public place, and soundly beaten.
I once had a commenter who menaced my wife (not sure if legally, his words fully amounted to a threat). But once I let him know how much I knew about him in terms of ID based on what I was able to find through his IP address using tools from work, he freaked out, 'cause he believed I might actually be on the verge of finding out his real ID. And he backed off. Hasn't been back to visit my blog since.
Take away the shield of anonymity and you take away the power. That'd really be something to have the cops knock on that fella's door and say, "You threatening this man's wife?"
The worst problem I've had with these female bloggers is that some of them keep sending me panties and crotch shots.
And it's starting to get scary.
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