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I think the solution to groups like them is to not go to their websites and ignore them. They behave this way to get a rise out of people.

marcan_42 5y ago
It's not about their website. They openly dox people, and those around them. Near ignored them at first, then they went to harass, dox, and suicide bait Near's friends. How do you ignore that? The forums themselves may look like it's an insulated bubble of hate, but the reality is that a subset of their users coordinate targeted attacks on more secluded platforms. The forums are just the front for much deeper abuse.
- betwixthewires 5y ago
  I understand from reading other parts of this thread that you were a friend of his. Were you subject to any of these attacks? I'd guess you'd be more familiar with exactly what they did. I'd like to understand better what sorts of attacks they did and on what platforms. What's "suicide bait?"
  - marcan_42 5y ago
    Suicide baiting means maliciously encouraging suicide. They targeted one of Near's friends, who was known to have issues with being suicidal, to try to get them to do it. They also doxed several other friends, which damaged Near's friendships. They basically followed and stalked them around the internet, mocking them for anything they could find (e.g. being nonbinary, a furry, etc), documenting what communities they were part of, and identifying targets who might be vulnerable. This deeply hurt Near, as they saw their friends being targeted because of them; they lost friendships over this. There were also plenty of false accusations and attempts to hurt Near's image (e.g. saying they're a pedophile). My friendship with Near was not public, so I didn't receive any harassment directly since they didn't know about me. That said, after I reported the suicide, they tried (and failed) to take over or lock down my Twitter account and to sign me up for a gay porn mailing list. I'm lucky enough to be a straight cis white dude in a good enough psychological state, which doesn't make me a terribly appealing target; others are not so lucky. They go after minorities, those with psychological conditions, etc.
ripley12 5y ago
Have you ever visited Kiwi Farms? The first thing you’ll notice is all the threads and subforums dedicated to harassing specific individuals - many with tens of thousands of messages. I can’t imagine what it’s like to be targeted by a horde of deranged anonymous 4channers, and I don’t think ignoring it would be much of a solution.
- betwixthewires 5y ago
  I've never been to the site, no, but I'm somewhat familiar with what they're all about.

marcan_42 5y ago

It's not about their website. They openly dox people, and those around them. Near ignored them at first, then they went to harass, dox, and suicide bait Near's friends. How do you ignore that? The forums themselves may look like it's an insulated bubble of hate, but the reality is that a subset of their users coordinate targeted attacks on more secluded platforms. The forums are just the front for much deeper abuse.

betwixthewires 5y ago
I understand from reading other parts of this thread that you were a friend of his. Were you subject to any of these attacks? I'd guess you'd be more familiar with exactly what they did. I'd like to understand better what sorts of attacks they did and on what platforms. What's "suicide bait?"
- marcan_42 5y ago
  Suicide baiting means maliciously encouraging suicide. They targeted one of Near's friends, who was known to have issues with being suicidal, to try to get them to do it. They also doxed several other friends, which damaged Near's friendships. They basically followed and stalked them around the internet, mocking them for anything they could find (e.g. being nonbinary, a furry, etc), documenting what communities they were part of, and identifying targets who might be vulnerable. This deeply hurt Near, as they saw their friends being targeted because of them; they lost friendships over this. There were also plenty of false accusations and attempts to hurt Near's image (e.g. saying they're a pedophile). My friendship with Near was not public, so I didn't receive any harassment directly since they didn't know about me. That said, after I reported the suicide, they tried (and failed) to take over or lock down my Twitter account and to sign me up for a gay porn mailing list. I'm lucky enough to be a straight cis white dude in a good enough psychological state, which doesn't make me a terribly appealing target; others are not so lucky. They go after minorities, those with psychological conditions, etc.

ripley12 5y ago

Have you ever visited Kiwi Farms? The first thing you’ll notice is all the threads and subforums dedicated to harassing specific individuals - many with tens of thousands of messages. I can’t imagine what it’s like to be targeted by a horde of deranged anonymous 4channers, and I don’t think ignoring it would be much of a solution.

betwixthewires 5y ago
I've never been to the site, no, but I'm somewhat familiar with what they're all about.