To Fight Trolls ‘Hackbacks’ And Mutual Aid Are Used By Online Activists
Digital trans activist Clara Sorrenti found herself arrested at gunpoint at her home in London, Ont. Anti-trans trolls had falsely reported she had killed her mother and was planning a shooting at city hall.
Sorrenti had been swatted.
Swatting involves calling 911 to falsely report a high-risk emergency at their victim’s home, triggering deployment of a SWAT team. In some swatting cases, victims have died at the hands of police.
Sorrenti’s experience is consistent with my findings in long-term research with intersectional global media activists.
She is a new type of intersectional digital activist. These activists work on intersectional issues, drawing connections between systems of oppression including race, gender, sexuality, and so on. And a great deal of their activism takes place ...