find one concrete example of "bad behavior" in the online space. briefly summarize what happened... Who was involved, and what was the outcome? Was there financial loss or damage to someone's reputation? Were the criminals held accountable? What practical lessons can we learn as a result of this example (i.e., what will you do to avoid being similarly victimized?)

Bad behavior is a painfully common response in the digital world; from hackers who take people’s private information and steal, to “doxxers” who spend their time religiously stalking people and reveal information publicly about them. People who act motivationally on bad behavior are often targeting subjects as a joke, but there are those who behave with the intent of damaging other’s reputation or causing harm to the individuals.

This malicious activity online is no foreign concept, as news outlets, Twitter fans, Twitch streamers, famous idles, and more have been victim to false pretenses and nonconsensual information reveals.

A dangerous tactic known as “swatting” is unfortunately one of many bad behaviors from internet trolls. Thriving to ruin people’s lives and wreak havoc, people who “SWAT” are best-known for finding live locations to report fake, extreme illegal activity like hostage situations, drug busts, and terrorism. Adrian Diaz, the local chief of Seattle PD, warns on the station’s blog, “Anyone can be the target of swatting, but victims are typically associated with the tech industry, video game industry, and/or the online broadcasting community. We have also seen cases where criminals are attempting to silence people with elevated online profiles, elevating these particular swatting incidents to hate crimes.”  The people who are swatted will be raided by police and, of course, held at gun point and arrested.

One victim of a particularly bad case of swatting was Joshua Peters, known online as the streamer KoppaTroopa who live streams videos of games on Twitch. During one of KoppaTroopa’s live streams that are reported to have over 60,000 viewers present in 2015, he and his family was swatted by the police with an anonymous call. With no warning in the confusion, it was KoppaTroopa’s 10-year-old brother who opened the door for the officers –

only to be immediately greeted by approximately 10 officer’s guns faced at him. (Matthew Wilson, 2015)

In a reposted clip of the streamer’s reaction after everything was cleared up on Youtube, KoppaTroopa states shakily, “I had police point a gun at my little brothers because of you. They could have been shot, they could have died because you chose to SWAT my stream.” Fans, family, and everyone involved were enraged by the heinous act, but it is unknown whether the aggressor was arrested or caught. KoppaTroopa and his family was physically left unharmed, but it is almost certain that the trauma and emotional damage will stick with them for years to come.

Online safety is vital, especially for those who are consistently posting on the internet and performing live streams. The best way to stay safe and prevent similar incidents is to ensure that you practice cautious information sharing and refrain from giving out your personal information online, no matter how brief or minor.

https://www.looper.com/746388/streamers-who-were-swatted-live-on-stream/

https://www.seattle.gov/police/need-help/swatting

https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/twitch-streamer-swatted-in-front-of-60000-viewers/

https://www.polygon.com/2015/2/9/8004183/swatting-victim-to-harassers-ten-cops-pointed-guns-at-my-little