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New Campaign Features Internet Trolls On Roadside Billboards (bbc.com)

Posted by Soulskill on from the because-trolls-will-hate-all-that-attention dept.

An anonymous reader writes: A campaign taking shape in Brazil seeks to fight online harassment in an unusual way: by posting the abusive comments on real billboards. "The group collects comments from Facebook or Twitter and uses geolocation tools to find out where the people who have posted them live. They then buy billboard space nearby and post the comments in huge letters, although names and photos are pixelated." Brazil has laws prohibiting racial abuse, but this group doesn't think the government is doing enough to stop it. The campaign's founder said, "Those people [who post abuse online] think they can sit in the comfort of their homes and do whatever they want on the internet. We don't let that happen. They can't hide from us, we will find them."

3 of 197 comments (clear)

  1. What does this accomplish? by Keiran+Halcyon · · Score: 5, Insightful

    "Those people [who post abuse online] think they can sit in the comfort of their homes and do whatever they want on the internet. We don't let that happen. They can't hide from us, we will find them."

    So the idea is that you're going to find them, and then post their picture and their message near to them so that they and everyone else can see what a tool that person is. Except you're going to obscure the picture and hide the name so that nobody knows who did it except the original author. Basically, you're just publishing this person's hate mail on the wall like a poster, and letting them see their work writ large.

  2. Revenge Doxing by OrangeTide · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Seems like revenge doxing disguised as a crusade disguised as a PSA.

    "Can we all get along?" - Rodney King

    --
    “Common sense is not so common.” — Voltaire
  3. Re:Yes, and are you sure it's not intended? by grimmjeeper · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I'm not so sure. SJWs usually aren't smart enough to be that Machiavellian. They're usually true believers who "just know" that this kind of thing will work and once the trolls are "outed", they'll do a completely 180 and become born again good citizens. I mean, all it takes is someone who knows what's best for them telling them the "truth" to straighten them out...

    Though that's not to say others won't try to capitalize on the failure that this campaign will surely turn out to be. But I doubt the ones sponsoring this idiocy are going into it with those kinds of long term goals.