Warning: this post will make your blood boil. It did for me. This week's 'Insight' on SBS One is about THE hot topic of the moment: internet trolls. But this time a TV program actually speaks to the trolls and asks them: why do you do it? This person - known as 'Weev', full name Andrew Auernheimer - puts forward his words on why he trolls. It's hard to contain my anger as I watch this:
And another clip from the ep, where lawyer Greg Walsh - a lawyer who has represented families affected by cyber bullying and trolling - confronts self-proclaimed troll Weev on his trolling activities:
Here's another clip, where Stephen Deguara speaks - his 15 year old daughter Kirstin was killed in a car crash in May 2010. Kirstin's memorial website was attacked by trolls two days after her death. The website was shut down but trolls then set up their own page about the crash.:
And lastly, the promo trailer for the ep:
This episode of 'Insight' is an extraordinary television event, where we hear from the trolls themselves – unmasked and unafraid to talk openly about their activities and where they draw the line. They face off with trolling victims and experts to discuss the impacts of trolling, whether a crackdown on trolling would threaten free speech, and whether people simply need to ‘toughen up’ when they enter online spaces. What do you think? Please comment below. Guests on this edition of 'Insight' include: Andrew Auernheimer aka ‘Weev’ Andrew calls himself a troll. Also known by his pseudonym ‘Weev’, Andrew says trolling is about taking what people make public and using it to infuriate them. In 2011 he was arrested and charged for allegedly hacking into the servers of US telecommunications company AT&T and taking the personal information of Apple iPad users. Jaime Cochran Jaime calls herself a troll. She explains trolling as doing something inflammatory that invokes an emotional reaction from someone. She says she doesn’t target anyone in particular, just “whoever takes the bait”. Steven Steven is a self-proclaimed troll. He says he likes to troll people who he thinks are being aggressive or homophobic. But Steve doesn’t like Twitter trolls and says trolling has deteriorated from just ‘stirring people’ to hurting them. Darren Hassan Darren says he was targeted by trolls after appearing on the first series of SBS’s Go Back You Where You Came From. He says the attacks were personal and directed towards his wife and children. Facebook pages calling him a racist were also set up. Darren says anonymity online can bring out the worst in people. Stephen Deguara Stephen’s 15 year old daughter Kirstin was killed in a car crash in May 2010. Kirstin’s website was attacked by trolls two days after her death. The website was shut down but trolls then set up their own page about the crash. Whitney Phillips Whitney has interviewed trolls and studied trolling. She thinks the term ‘trolling’ is often used incorrectly by the media. She says trolls see their activities as a game. Whitney doesn’t think getting rid of anonymity on platforms such as Twitter is a step in the right direction. Greg Walsh Greg is a lawyer who has represented families affected by cyber bullying and trolling. He wants new legislation introduced to help prosecute people who troll and bully online. He thinks we’re getting to a stage where we should no longer allow anonymity online. Insight is hosted by Jenny Brockie and airs every Tuesday at 8.30pm on SBS ONE. For more, click here: www.sbs.com.au/insight Follow Twitter here:| #InsightSBS
Thanks to Popbitch, I've just read all about which words are banned - and which are allowed - on Google Instant. If you use Google, you will have been exposed to Google Instant without realising it. It's kinda like predictive text for Google. Type in O, then P, then R, and watch the word 'Oprah' come up as the suggested word you are looking for. Type in 'bitch' and you can forget it. Google Instant will have none of that. The same for 'nipples'. One 'nipple' is okay. Two nipples? Why you dirty bastard. Conversely, 'bastard'? No problem. 'Bastardo'? Non va bene! Oh, it's so fun to see what Google Instant considers offensive. Here is an excerpt from the article written on the snigger-worthy topic, plus the list of words that are deemed a no-no in the eyes of Google. Google Blacklist - Words That Google Instant Doesn't Like Google Instant is the latest incarnation of the search engine that fills in potential responses as you type them into the Google search bar. Some people think this is great while others feel like Google is reading their minds and are freaked out by it. We believe it's fun for at least one reason. Like everything these days, great care must be taken to ensure that as few people as possible are offended by anything. Google Instant is no exception. Somewhere within Google there exists a master list of "bad words" and evil concepts that Google Instant is programmed to not act upon, lest someone see something offensive in the instant results... even if that's exactly what they typed into the search bar. We call it Google Blacklist. Give it a try. Go to the Google home page. Type in "puppy" and see the many results that fill your screen. Now type "bitch" and admire the blank screen. In this case, the two words could mean the exact same thing. But Google Instant is erring on the side of caution, protecting the searcher from seeing something they may not want to see. Continue reading here: http://www.2600.com/googleblacklist/ Google Blacklist Words (the capital letter indicates where the blacklist kicks in) adUlt aryaN babeS in toyland biseXual camel Toe crossDresser gay bOy lesBian lovemaKing pantY paris Hilton phone seX rapE sasha Grey submissiVe tushY zoopHilia 'Paris Hilton'? And 'lesbian'? Seriously?
