Internet trolls: What to do about the scourge of the Web?

[FBM]

I know where you live, FBM. well, roughly.

Once you get here, it's not hard to pick me out of the crowd, I hear.

You need to get a disguise, blend in.

I blend in with le femmes as often as possible.

To find FBM, just look for a wiggling asian girl. Could be an asian girl with a facial twitch too. Possibly both. Can't be hard to spot.

I never attract trolls. No idea why though. Don't troll people either because I can't muster the effort it takes.

Facial twitches are hawt.

[FBM]

Thing is, Audley, you don't have to be a swaggering twunt to attract the random troll. I've caught all kinds of shit from them over the years for saying nothing of the sort. Many of them do just attack randomly.

Oh I'm well aware FBM. I do have my own website, have had work published and art hung in galleries, so I've had some fair share of dicks commenting and sending me e-mails including words which could be construed as death threats (if you were a simpleton). You know what I never did, cried to the police or hunted them down like some nutcase, nor take to the web like some wobbly blue haired drunk looking for sympathy and action from other simpletons.

Apparently people only have the right to "nice" opinions? Nah fuck that. Grow a pair or fuck off back to meatspace. Actually don't bother, most of them should just fuck off back to meatspace, they add nothing of any value to the net, just clutter it up.

This sort of shit is exactly the sort of thing they're going to use to turn the net into another anodyne mall space. Oh kiddie porn! Oh Trolls! Oh horrible Facebook sites. It's all just ways to convince the public that the net should be out of their hands, locked and with proprietary software in browsers to filter out everything but those who have most to gain.

Seems you're attributing a lot to me that I didn't express.

[pErvinalia]

Thing is, Audley, you don't have to be a swaggering twunt to attract the random troll. I've caught all kinds of shit from them over the years for saying nothing of the sort. Many of them do just attack randomly.

Oh I'm well aware FBM. I do have my own website, have had work published and art hung in galleries, so I've had some fair share of dicks commenting and sending me e-mails including words which could be construed as death threats (if you were a simpleton). You know what I never did, cried to the police or hunted them down like some nutcase...

I support nutcasery. Some wankers really do need a beat down or good fucking scare. I say more power to the people who are crazy enough to follow through.

[Audley Strange]

Thing is, Audley, you don't have to be a swaggering twunt to attract the random troll. I've caught all kinds of shit from them over the years for saying nothing of the sort. Many of them do just attack randomly.

Oh I'm well aware FBM. I do have my own website, have had work published and art hung in galleries, so I've had some fair share of dicks commenting and sending me e-mails including words which could be construed as death threats (if you were a simpleton). You know what I never did, cried to the police or hunted them down like some nutcase, nor take to the web like some wobbly blue haired drunk looking for sympathy and action from other simpletons.

Apparently people only have the right to "nice" opinions? Nah fuck that. Grow a pair or fuck off back to meatspace. Actually don't bother, most of them should just fuck off back to meatspace, they add nothing of any value to the net, just clutter it up.

This sort of shit is exactly the sort of thing they're going to use to turn the net into another anodyne mall space. Oh kiddie porn! Oh Trolls! Oh horrible Facebook sites. It's all just ways to convince the public that the net should be out of their hands, locked and with proprietary software in browsers to filter out everything but those who have most to gain.

Seems you're attributing a lot to me that I didn't express.

I'm attributing nothing to you actually. The second paragraph was not directed at you or about you but rather to the people who whine about trolls ruining the internet. A bit of a rant, apologies if it came across like I was attacking you.

[Audley Strange]

Thing is, Audley, you don't have to be a swaggering twunt to attract the random troll. I've caught all kinds of shit from them over the years for saying nothing of the sort. Many of them do just attack randomly.

Oh I'm well aware FBM. I do have my own website, have had work published and art hung in galleries, so I've had some fair share of dicks commenting and sending me e-mails including words which could be construed as death threats (if you were a simpleton). You know what I never did, cried to the police or hunted them down like some nutcase...

I support nutcasery. Some wankers really do need a beat down or good fucking scare. I say more power to the people who are crazy enough to follow through.

Yeah because violent trolling in real life is so much the better than making shitty comments on the web. Considering some of the shit you say, you'd be happy if some fuck-nugget decided to find you and hospitalise you?

Bullshit.

[pErvinalia]

People need to understand there are consequences to their actions. I've never made death threats to anyone or their families, so you can shove that strawman where it fits.

[Audley Strange]

People need to understand there are consequences to their actions. I've never made death threats to anyone or their families, so you can shove that strawman where it fits.

I never said you did,, you never mentioned specifically that you thought people who made death threats and since the subject is trolling rather than just "death threats" you can have your imagined strawman back.

[pErvinalia]

Well the article is specifically a case of someone getting death threats. I was commenting in that context. And I support the boxer in scaring the shit out of the cowardly twat who threatened him.

[FBM]

Thing is, Audley, you don't have to be a swaggering twunt to attract the random troll. I've caught all kinds of shit from them over the years for saying nothing of the sort. Many of them do just attack randomly.

Oh I'm well aware FBM. I do have my own website, have had work published and art hung in galleries, so I've had some fair share of dicks commenting and sending me e-mails including words which could be construed as death threats (if you were a simpleton). You know what I never did, cried to the police or hunted them down like some nutcase, nor take to the web like some wobbly blue haired drunk looking for sympathy and action from other simpletons.

Apparently people only have the right to "nice" opinions? Nah fuck that. Grow a pair or fuck off back to meatspace. Actually don't bother, most of them should just fuck off back to meatspace, they add nothing of any value to the net, just clutter it up.

This sort of shit is exactly the sort of thing they're going to use to turn the net into another anodyne mall space. Oh kiddie porn! Oh Trolls! Oh horrible Facebook sites. It's all just ways to convince the public that the net should be out of their hands, locked and with proprietary software in browsers to filter out everything but those who have most to gain.

Seems you're attributing a lot to me that I didn't express.

I'm attributing nothing to you actually. The second paragraph was not directed at you or about you but rather to the people who whine about trolls ruining the internet. A bit of a rant, apologies if it came across like I was attacking you.

Cheers. No harm done.

[Audley Strange]

Well the article is specifically a case of someone getting death threats. I was commenting in that context. And I support the boxer in scaring the shit out of the cowardly twat who threatened him.

Well that's fair enough rEv and I do have some sympathy with the guy for it, but really how much of a tit do you need to be to have a twitter feed anyway? It's so fucking needy. Then to top that, you get all butthurt about some stupid comments? Tough guy.

Seriously, honestly. Do you think the net should be restricted, do you think people should be in jail for crass comments, do you think people who have been insulted have the right to use violence against someone who insults them or have them arrested and taken away?

I don't think you do. I don't think many of us do. However this is what is happening, because there are too many simpletons on the net. "I'm offended, do something about it!"

Trolls are being as an excuse to increase regulation.

[Azathoth]

Although I support the boxer's right to go and pay a little visit to someone threatening his kids. That is absolutely worth an arse kicking. I think he showed remarkable restraint

[FBM]

Just for the record, I don't want to increase regulation. I just want to punch the shit out of some of those fucks. Putting them on 'ignore' is...well, effective, but not quite as satisfying. That said, I've learned how to deal with them effectively, so none of them can hook me into a confrontation anymore.

And THAT said, limits on freedom of speech should not be somehow exempted just because it's online.

[pErvinalia]

Well the article is specifically a case of someone getting death threats. I was commenting in that context. And I support the boxer in scaring the shit out of the cowardly twat who threatened him.

Well that's fair enough rEv and I do have some sympathy with the guy for it, but really how much of a tit do you need to be to have a twitter feed anyway? It's so fucking needy. Then to top that, you get all butthurt about some stupid comments? Tough guy.

Seriously, honestly. Do you think the net should be restricted, do you think people should be in jail for crass comments, do you think people who have been insulted have the right to use violence against someone who insults them or have them arrested and taken away?

I don't think you do. I don't think many of us do. However this is what is happening, because there are too many simpletons on the net. "I'm offended, do something about it!"

Trolls are being as an excuse to increase regulation.

Well it might fall out that way (that trolls are being used as an excuse for regulation), but that doesn't mean some people don't have a real grievance against trolls.

Regarding my views, well it may or may not surprise you but they are not normal. I have no problem with the concept of proportionate personal revenge as a principle (in practice it's not likely to be a very sensible thing in most cases). I view it more as a moral/understanding/empathy thing, as opposed to a legal thing. That is, if someone kills someone who murdered their spouse or someone in their family, then I have little problem with it morally. Personally I'd have no problem whatsoever dismembering anyone who took or was taking one of my kid's lives.

And thinking about this thread, I am reminded of my time as a moderator on a reasonably popular, but controversial, political facebook site. We used to get the odd nutter who'd threaten us and in some cases stalk individual moderators (including me). But we had some unique talents and resources amongst us, and we were often able to track down the location and real names of some of these people. If we did, we'd then drop some personal info in a conversation in a fashion that most people but the person themselves wouldn't notice, and they'd usually get the message that we knew exactly who they were and/or where they lived/worked. That shut most of them up pretty quick.

[Audley Strange]

Proportionate is fine and I have no problem with your "moral" principle as you describe it. I understand that and if someone is being a dick because they are anonymous I do believe allowing them to be exposed along their words as such. However when it escalates beyond the internet, when you're hunting down people who said mean things about you on the internet, how are you any better or worse than trolls who Swat or Pizzabomb those who have pissed them off online?

I'd suggest in fact there is no real difference, but its escalation not proportionate.

I had a guy who found out who I was from RDF and followed me around because he liked my comic. He was complimentary at first, then given to making suggestions, then being outright rude when I ignored him. Eventually he started saying all sorts of horrible shit. He accidently cc'd me an e-mail once, so I posted all his comments he made to me to his entire cc list without a comment from me. I never heard from him again.

I have no problem with that. However if I started wasting time and effort to track him down so I could gain some form of ego-saving retribution spree, I'd say I'd have been as fucked up as he. There is a reason "don't feed the trolls" is a slogan. They are no different from those they berate, attention seekers mostly, usually pretty desperate.

[Audley Strange]

Although I support the boxer's right to go and pay a little visit to someone threatening his kids. That is absolutely worth an arse kicking. I think he showed remarkable restraint

I think he showed a bit of last minute sense. If someone texted me to say they were on their way to my house after I made some comments (not that I would ever make such comments. The guys comments were atrocious and yes I do agree he probably deserved a kicking) he'd find me with a gang of people armed and waiting. I'd say he was lucky. I'd say they both were.

However I do think rEv is right when he points out exposure is the way to go. However considering how loosely "troll" is used by simpletons to mean "them wot don't agree wif my persnul geneus and awesumness instantly all the time" then I think we need to accept that while there are a few weirdos out there most of it is just invective and rhetoric. Considering the white hot level of both in political and cultural debate amongst the establishment and Hoi polloi. I don't see why I should be obligated to behave to an arbitrary subjective standard based on each individual's level of emotional tolerance.