CNN doxxes Reddit user over Trump wrestling gif

[mikeymikec]

110% agree.

In this case, however, is it appropriate for a multi-national news organization to dox an individual over a, well, cartoon? It seems a little on the extreme side to write an entire front-page article about it.

+1 if that's how it happened (including your previous comment about threatening him). If the guy had been a real piece of **** by posting something truly awful, then I'd be of the "consequences" opinion that other people had posted, but if CNN had gone after this guy and threatened him for posting a little amusing gif/video/whatever, that's a bit Trumpy of them.

In CNN's video they talk about the other things this user has allegedly done, but they didn't go after him for those things or anything related to those things so I fail to see the relevance of that.

 

[senseamp]

Interesting. I am not sure how I feel about this. On one hand people use the anonymity of the Internet to do some very crazy things under impression that there are no consequences. On the other hand, the guy didn't sign up for our idiot president making him a national story.

 

[UNCjigga]

I'm all for CNN making a point about how our President reposts memes from racist shitbags, and contacting the meme's creator for a statement, but no reason to doxx him if he wishes to remain anonymous. What does he need to apologize for?

 

[preCRT]

I do think the Kathy Griffin thing took the idea much, much further than this guy did...he made a silly wrestling gif with a logo on it...he didn't hold up a fake, bloody, decapitated head. Even though nobody really thought Kathy Griffin was organizing an attack, it was in extremely bad taste. I mean, the president has a young kid, you know?

Anyone taking the existence of Barron Trump into consideration is giving the kid more thought or concern than 45 ever has. How can 45 utter his constant stream of demeaning, insulting disgusting trash knowing there is a child, his own, listening?

 

[Grooveriding]

Anyone taking the existence of Barron Trump into consideration is giving the kid more thought or concern than 45 ever has. How can 45 utter his constant stream of demeaning, insulting disgusting trash knowing there is a child, his own, listening?

You assume Trump is capable of giving a shit about anyone besides himself. This is the guy who would like to bang his own daughter. I doubt Trump sees his children as anything other than an extension of himself and part of his ego.

 

[WelshBloke]

Jhhnn do you post under your real name? Why not? Wouldnt you like to "own" everything you say on here and wherever else you post to a highly partisan and politicized country?

Is there a difference between just being anonymous on a forum and hiding behind that anonymity?

I'm anonymous (pretty much) on here but I don't say anything here that I wouldn't say in public. I think that people have to be aware that their anonymity relies on them not attacking others or abusing that anonymity. If you act like an asshole and really piss someone off the person you pissed off is under no obligation to keep your identity secret.

 

[WelshBloke]

And if HanAssholeSolo had a history of violent postings.....

Yeah, he's a dick.

And a coward.

 

[Kaido]

Update 2 - CNN confirmed that he is a middle-aged man & not a minor.

https://twitter.com/KFILE

Update - the user called CNN's KFile back to confirm his identity & give an interview:

"After posting his apology, "HanAholeSolo" called CNN's KFile and confirmed his identity. In the interview, "HanAholeSolo" sounded nervous about his identity being revealed and asked to not be named out of fear for his personal safety and for the public embarrassment it would bring to him and his family.

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Apparently 4chan also doxxed the user, looks like he's a 15-year-old kid: (not verified, of course)

https://www.reddit.com/r/television/comments/6lbh08/cnn_discovers_identity_of_reddit_user_behind/

It also seems odd the way CNN worded it:

On Monday, KFile attempted to contact the man by email and phone but he did not respond. On Tuesday, "HanA**holeSolo" posted his apology on the subreddit /The_Donald and deleted all of his other posts.

Now the user is apologizing, writing in a lengthy post on Reddit that he does not advocate violence against the press and expressing remorse there and in an interview with CNN for other posts he made that were racist and anti-Semitic.

Someone on Reddit said there's word on the street that the reddit mods gave up his IP. I wonder if CNN's lawyers got ahold of the guy/kid and/or his family, because his apology is pretty well-crafted. They did say KFile, not CNN as a parent company, was unable to contact the user initially, and yet they have an interview with him?

This whole thing is just weird. Going after what appears to be a kid for a wrestling gif. It's still their headline news right now, too. Also, they updated the sub-title:

"After being contacted by CNN, Reddit user whose video Trump tweeted apologizes"

Maybe they left him a voicemail and he issued an apology. Or maybe their lawyers left him a voicemail that compelled him into writing an apology. I wonder what the legal aspects of this are in terms of free speech (again, not free from consequences). One user posted this:

Well I would remind everyone that journalists and News Agencies are legal NOT allowed to identify someone when it will endanger them

But it's pointless, because CNN is not a News Agency. No joke. Legall

Screenshot for posterity:

 

[UglyCasanova]

Is there a difference between just being anonymous on a forum and hiding behind that anonymity?

I'm anonymous (pretty much) on here but I don't say anything here that I wouldn't say in public. I think that people have to be aware that their anonymity relies on them not attacking others or abusing that anonymity. If you act like an asshole and really piss someone off the person you pissed off is under no obligation to keep your identity secret.

Of course we hide behind our anonymity, it's what makes the internet so great. We've had politicians try and remove that anonymity and receive plenty of backlash.

 

[WelshBloke]

Of course we hide behind our anonymity, it's what makes the internet so great.

I disagree. I'm not hiding behind mine. Like I said there's nothing I've said online that I wouldn't say offline.
There's a difference between having anonymity and hiding behind it.

 

[1sikbITCH]

The fake outrage of how a meme from what is obviously trump wanting to figuratively slam CNN is just unfortunate. Trump is a professional troll. And CNN just takes the bait every time and never knows how to respond.

Like the Kathy Griffin thing....terrible taste but do you really think she has it in her to organize an attack on POTUS.... nope. More people fake outraging.

We need to ignore his tweets and focus on his policy. I don't care about the crazy warez crap he thinks is funny. If he issues a policy that is insane how about we focus our outrage there before people think it's crying wolf

http://www.newsweek.com/trump-tweets-spicer-official-statements-621919

Asked whether Trump’s tweets constituted official statements, Spicer said, “The president is the president of the United States so they’re considered official statements by the president of the United States.”

 

[mikeymikec]

Of course we hide behind our anonymity, it's what makes the internet so great. We've had politicians try and remove that anonymity and receive plenty of backlash.

What specific great things have resulted from Internet anonymity?

Please note that I'm not arguing that anonymity should be removed from the Internet, I simply take issue with claims of anonymity making the Internet "great". With regard to intellectual discourse, the Internet would be a far safer and more productive place for most discussions if anonymity wasn't possible IMO. I agree with WB, on most topics if one has something useful to say, then one should have no issue with their real identity being associated with those comments.

On the flipside, if Internet anonymity was a requirement of posting stuff online, what would shitposters like Donald Trump do with themselves? They'd be indistiguishable from an anti-social teen with an attitude problem.

 

[vi edit]

I'm all for CNN making a point about how our President reposts memes from racist shitbags, and contacting the meme's creator for a statement, but no reason to doxx him if he wishes to remain anonymous. What does he need to apologize for?

Yep. Two wrongs don't make a right. Lou Dobbs got in hot water (and should have been fired) for Doxxing a woman bringing a lawsuit against Trump. CNN has no right to do the same to someone that made fun of them. This is not a war that anyone will win. If it escalates people will end up getting hurt.

 

[Exterous]

This is not a war that anyone will win. If it escalates people will end up getting hurt.

Given how irrational and grossly out of proportioned 'internet justice' can be I think the news organizations should take into consideration the potential blowback for the person who's information they post compared to that persons posted message\meme. I don't agree that 'post it, own it' means you should be prepared for a President and global news organization to put you in the middle of spat and subject you to the crazies online - unless there is a far better reason than this stupid gif

 

[MomentsofSanity]

Update - the user called CNN's KFile back to confirm his identity & give an interview:


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Apparently 4chan also doxxed the user, looks like he's a 15-year-old kid: (not verified, of course)

CNN is going to great lengths to debunk this claim that it's some teenaged kid. It's not. The claim is BS.

And apparently Reddit deleted the guys apology. Guess you can't have people demonstrating any level of decency on there.

 

[Kaido]

CNN is going to great lengths to debunk this claim that it's some teenaged kid. It's not. The claim is BS.

I don't really think it matters who it is...it's just weird that CNN is going after this at all. Seems like the lamest use of breaking front-page news possible.

 

[Sheik Yerbouti]

I think this is what bothers me more than anything. What makes me sad is that I used to check CNN every day for news, because it was pretty much just that...news. But now it feels like all of the major tech sites in the heyday of Apple...24/7 Apple coverage (I'm an Apple fanboy and even I got sick of it lol). Only in this case, it's non-stop Trump coverage. Then I switched to BreakingNews.com and then they shut down. Not an overly huge fan of Google News because of the layout. Reddit has a US News section, but it's not filtered by professional journalists, so that's kind of all over the map.

Sigh.

try bbc or pbs news.

 

[Kaido]

Given how irrational and grossly out of proportioned 'internet justice' can be I think the news organizations should take into consideration the potential blowback for the person who's information they post compared to that persons posted message\meme. I don't agree that 'post it, own it' means you should be prepared for a President and global news organization to put you in the middle of spat and subject you to the crazies online - unless there is a far better reason than this stupid gif

Internet Justice is awful...it's like the Eye of Sauron. Reddit users have collectively ruined more than a few people's lives by placing the blame on the wrong people in the past. It's scary stuff.

 

[Kaido]

Yep. Two wrongs don't make a right. Lou Dobbs got in hot water (and should have been fired) for Doxxing a woman bringing a lawsuit against Trump. CNN has no right to do the same to someone that made fun of them. This is not a war that anyone will win. If it escalates people will end up getting hurt.

Yeah, just look at the whole Pizzagate nonsense where that dude ended up bringing a huge gun into the restaurant. He's spending the next 4 years in prison...

http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-...zzagate-gunman-sentenced-to-4-years-in-prison

 

[Sheik Yerbouti]

And if HanAssholeSolo had a history of violent postings.....

eeeesh, what a wretched little twatwaffle. reap what you sow.

 

[MomentsofSanity]

I don't really think it matters who it is...it's just weird that CNN is going after this at all. Seems like the lamest use of breaking front-page news possible.

Maybe he shouldn't have spent so much time targeting CNN. Compiling lists of everyone who worked there that was Jewish etc... and posting it along with all his other vile, violent posts.

 

[FIVR]

I don't think they doxxed him? They just had a segment and cuomo said they "made a deal" because the reddit user was sorry.


I don't know how I feel about the idea of Doxxing him. On the one hand, his other postings show him to be a degenerate but on the other hand CNN should have more important things to report on than random racist douchebags making gifs on T_D

 

[Meghan54]

Yep. Two wrongs don't make a right. Lou Dobbs got in hot water (and should have been fired) for Doxxing a woman bringing a lawsuit against Trump. CNN has no right to do the same to someone that made fun of them. This is not a war that anyone will win. If it escalates people will end up getting hurt.

Maybe I'm wrong, but I thought doxxing was publicly releasing someone's personal info. That's not what CNN did. Nowhere and at no time has CNN identified the person in question.

 

[Fanatical Meat]

Maybe I'm wrong, but I thought doxxing was publicly releasing someone's personal info. That's not what CNN did. Nowhere and at no time has CNN identified the person in question.

I believe his point is CNN basically said apologize or we'll expose you.
I realize this is an over simplification

I'm tapping out of this thread, CNN acted stupidly, that and everything else is just a stupid distraction from the important stuff.

 

[Kaido]

Maybe I'm wrong, but I thought doxxing was publicly releasing someone's personal info. That's not what CNN did. Nowhere and at no time has CNN identified the person in question.

That is correct. They "doxxed" (found his personal information) him privately with a threat of releasing his information publicly if he recanted his apology online at any time.