“Thank You Hater” went viral yesterday; I saw it everywhere. It was all over my Twitter feed, including via Roger Ebert and Stephen Fry. Isabel Fay tweeted about the phone ringing off the hook and interviews lining up to be done. The Guardian reports on the instant virality.
It also reports a different cyber-bully story.
A woman has won court backing to force Facebook to reveal the identities of cyberbullies who targeted her with a string of abusive messages on the website.
Nicola Brookes was granted a high court order after receiving “vicious and depraved” abuse on Facebook after she posted a comment in support of the former The X Factor contestant Frankie Cocozza.
The woman, from Brighton, was falsely branded a paedophile and drug dealer by anonymous Facebook users who set up a fake profile page on the website.
Now Brookes plans to bring a private prosecution against at least four alleged internet trolls, after the high court said Facebook should reveal their identities.
Interesting.
Gee, this is good news since abusive jerks seem to like to target me obsessively and repeatedly with those very same vicious lies.
I know, I thought of you as soon as I saw the headline.
It’s hard not to giggle at the thought of these punks getting busted for this. Here’s hoping she gets her money’s worth.
Oh is it? I find it very easy not to giggle. I take it you’ve never been slandered or libeled under your real name on the internet.
@Ophelia
I don’t know whether it is good or bad that you thought of me immediately. The fact that I may finally have recourse is a relief. The fact that I am getting harassed so much that I need it is very troubling.
I know that I am obviously not alone in this predicament. The anonymity of the internet lends itself to this type of abuse. It is high time that social networking sites realize they have a responsibility to their users.
I just recently contacted a newspaper to have a defamatory comment removed on a story that was posted by someone that has been stalking me. They were very accommodating as they realized it crossed the line and didn’t want to share in the potential liability. Perhaps if Facebook and other sites had some actual accountability, they might be more responsive to abuse reports.