Internet harassment

Hobnail Monkey

I'd like this thread to be serious. I've been reading the papers for the last few weeks and what with all the children being approached and harassed by people, abducted and worse, I was just wondering if anyone here has ever been harassed on the internet, be it via email, web boards similar to this one or chat forums? I'm not talking about flaming here, but real harassment by potential perverts, child molesters or criminals. Its never happened to me, but I've read so much about it now that it almost seems like an epidemic.

Lemming

Originally posted by Hobnail Monkey
but I've read so much about it now that it almost seems like an epidemic.

Like the media would have you believe that computer games are evil since one of the columbine high kids used to play Doom online. :rolleyes:

Like the media are blaming the computer game "half-life: blue shift" for a murder of a security guard in Australia recently, even though the murderer hadn't played, or heard of, the game at all (afaik). :rolleyes:

Like the media would have you believe that computer virii are "everywhere and anything and that you can catch a computer virus by turning your computer on" and that the end of the internet must be at hand :rolleyes:

The media LOVES using things that most people know nothing about and twisting/distorting the facts to make a story more sensationalist so they can sell more papers or get a writers award.

The Sweeper

What surprises me is the number of Dublin men trawling for sex on public chatrooms. I specifically say Dublin men because I've been hit up by a few people who are, despite being either married or attached, genuinely interested in meeting someone in a chat room who would be willing to meet up with them at lunchtime, in a B&B, hotel or even a friends empty apartment, for sex.

These men don't want to leave their wives or their girlfriends and don't want to pay for prostitutes, so they're looking for like-minded, highly-sexed women to hook up with them discreetly at mutually suitable times so they can f*ck each others brains out.

Fascinated me I have to say, purely through its proliferation. Chatrooms like oceanfree, IOL - the ones hosted by ISP portal sites are full of these geezers!. I couldn't believe how open some of them were about it either.

This can work both ways though. I was talking to a guy at the start of this year who'd met up with a girl he'd found on the oceanfree chat room for a drink. Well one drink turned into five drinks, they went back to his place for sex and he dropped her home around 2am/3am. This happened a couple of times - they'd hook up through the chatroom, arrange a venue, meet up, back to his for sex, he drives her home. His pals thought this was a great set-up for him, he said he felt a bit guilty about it because he didn’t really want a relationship but he kept doing it anyway because this girl seemed to be happy with the way it worked out.

Imagine his surprise when he discovered that the reason they never went to her place for sex was because she was about to turn 16 and lived with her parents.

He's 25.



(oh, how I roffled...)

smiles

For what MAJD has said, I know several girls who've done this - mostly underage and looking for someone who'll look after them, however briefly and give them some kudos in the eyes of their crowd of mates.

I'd get about a PM a day on IRC from a guy wanting to meet up and get to know me better... 'tis a wee bit odd really - I usually tell them to PM my other IRC name [Kharn] :P

<< Fio >>

Dave

Thats a wee bit sad. Go out and socialise.

WhiteWashMan

i think its important to find out what most people would constitute as harrassment.
usually attention which makes you feel uncomfortable or threatened.
i wont say unwanted, as that means i would be guilty of it everyday here

cant say ive ever been harrassed. ive been hit on and chatted up a few times. which i have to admit i find hilariously funny, but i feel that ive never been involved in anything that has made me stand back and go oooooooooo-yuck!

but then again, ive never been in a chat room with lots of young girls. only young boys of the CS playing variety, and god knows they arent very attractive in their own right. they just tend to be moany teenage adolecence!

so no, i havent seen much of it, but i also think there is ahuge culture of it, and it wouldnt be hard to find if i wanted to be involved in it.
these things always lurk. education, as always is the best weapon in any sort of fight.

Dustaz

Originally posted by Hobnail Monkey
never happened to me, but I've read so much about it now that it almost seems like an epidemic.

So it must be true eh? The Sun is never wrong about these things...

Well, at least something useful has turned up on this topic

/me runs off to oceanfree chatroom

smiles

Originally posted by Dustaz

/me runs off to oceanfree chatroom

ah Dusty, theres no point... i mean these girls may be desperate... but I mean they have standards.

<< Fio >>

Lemming

Originally posted by Minesajackdaniels


This can work both ways though. I was talking to a guy at the start of this year who'd met up with a girl he'd found on the oceanfree chat room for a drink.

Imagine his surprise when he discovered that the reason they never went to her place for sex was because she was about to turn 16 and lived with her parents.

He's 25.



(oh, how I roffled...)

Funny though it may be, it IS quite serious. Who's at fault here though is the question that begs to be asked?

On a related note, some of my little cousins (english - 12, scot - < 9) were online one night in one of my aunts houses in scotland. She has an internet connected PC. They were online in a chat room, pretending to be someone MUCH older. THey weren't doing this for anything other than sh*ts n'giggles. This, I think, boils down to a lack of awareness. It's no different to kids playing with the traffic. They might find it fun, but they could get knocked down. Kids are told not to play with the traffic and are told the reasons why, so I think we should be making kids more aware of the possible dangers online too, from virii to perverts to fraud.

Dustaz

Originally posted by smiles


ah Dusty, theres no point... i mean these girls may be desperate... but I mean they have standards.

<< Fio >>

Hey, it worked for Kharn

Lemming

Originally posted by Dustaz


Hey, it worked for Kharn

OOooooooooo ...... handbags at the ready?? .....

walk for 20 paces

smiles

Originally posted by Dustaz

Hey, it worked for Kharn

did you remember this before or after you bit me? [two bruises now (sniff)]

<< Fio >>

BuffyBot

TBH, its a lost less common than people would have you believe. Not saying that it cannot and isn't done, but mostly its a media scare story

strat

here Hobnail Monkey, call into #fortress.ie on quakenet some night and we will sort you out.

Cake Fiend

Originally posted by Dustaz


Hey, it worked for Kharn

HAHAHA, see you at the funeral lad :eek:

Dustaz - 1921-2002, RIP

seamus

Originally posted by Sico


HAHAHA, see you at the funeral lad :eek:

Dustaz - 1921-2002, RIP

ROFL. POTM.

:D

That's the onyl harrassment I see on the net

leeroybrown

I've had a few "pseudo-stalkers" on IRC but it was more fun than anything else.

Of course the Perverts, molestors, etc are hanging around online looking for targets.

Its impossible to stop children from running into these typs if they are online (and I don't believe in any of that Net-Nanny culture) so you might as well (as mentioned by Lemming) try to alert them to the dangers.

Tazzle

It can happen and does happen but it's alot rarer than the newspapers make it out to be, although they've left my mother paranoid. Mostly just ****-mongering by media imo.

The Gopher

On the subject of the whole children/internet thing I once read somewhere that X percent of children(50% maybe i cant remember) have"accidendtly"come across internet porn.Was this survey carried out in full view of ths childrens parents?It must have been as IMHO its near impossible to accidendtly come across porn.For christ sakes,finding free porn on the net nowadays is hard enough so its even harder to find it accidendtly!And even most of the free sites have them feckin adult check pass systems you need a credit card for:mad: :mad: Im sure that when i first got the net free porn was alot easier to find.99% of them kids in that survey were deliberately looking for porn-its so obvious!

Makaveli

Originally posted by The Gopher
MHO its near impossible to accidendtly come across porn.For christ sakes,finding free porn on the net nowadays is hard enough so its even harder to find it accidendtly!And even most of the free sites have them feckin adult check pass systems you need a credit card for:mad: :mad:

Seems you have done a lot of research on this topic.

As for harrassment. The most I've come across is childish stuff on IRC like nuking people and spamming them.
Hardly going to make the 6 o' clock news.

RopeDrink

This is another thing that sickens me, and it boils down to immaturity. Those little A/S/L twats and the likes that get all excited when "HotChick4U" enters a room and causes a ruckus (Male Hormone Tornado's) - But when it involves older chat room users, it can be dangerous.

Meeting someone from, wether it's the end of the world or down the street, that frequents IRC or whatnot is an adventure in itself, but then there are the 'adventurers' who carry knives, shotguns or lethal weapons around streets and being all bastardish, whilst when they are at home their 'alter ego' can happily chat with people on IRC without anyone knowing the said person is a suicidal / murderous psychopath...

The Internet is one of the most dodgy media avaliable.
You really need to be cautious and aware of what you get up to because those who don't have these traits (Younger Generation of Net Users) get themselves into trouble. You could talk to a bloke who pretends he's your age, likes what you like and wants to meet you. Then it turns out to be a bloke four times your age with one thing on his mind and this one thing doesn't involve conversation, but it probably does involve you getting attacked.

As for harrasment, I'm too wrapped up in personal afairs and family problems to give a flying **** if some ****ty seven year old **** is trying to nuke me on IRC or whatever...

Dustaz

Originally posted by Makaveli

The most I've come across is childish stuff on IRC like nuking people and spamming them.

Ah, youve met tomo then?

Originally posted by Sico
HAHAHA, see you at the funeral lad

Dustaz - 1921-2002, RIP

As a great man once said (last saturday), im big enough to know when im 0wned, pld


/me runs off to hide from Dav....

PiE

Eh, I've been using the intarwab for about 5 years now and not once have I come across any sort of freakish stuff.

And believe me, I tried.

Littletinyman

Originally posted by RopeDrink
This is another thing that sickens me, and it boils down to immaturity. Those little A/S/L twats and the likes that get all excited when "HotChick4U" enters a room and causes a ruckus (Male Hormone Tornado's) - But when it involves older chat room users, it can be dangerous.

Nah don't worry, more often than not HotChick4U will be me.

bugler

Originally posted by Minesajackdaniels

Imagine his surprise when he discovered that the reason they never went to her place for sex was because she was about to turn 16 and lived with her parents.

Oh I bet he had no inkling, and was really upset about it

Par, I now have the unsettling feeling I've made lewd remarks to you in a variety of chatrooms over the last 2 years.

Shiminay

Speaking as a major internet paedophile ring leader, I would like to refute any and all arguments against this topic and suggest that more children join more chatrooms, in partcular, the chatrooms on www.come-here-to-me-my-little-darlings.com are most enlightening and it's a great place to score, erm, I mean, it's a nice place for younger netizens to visit when they want a more mature talk about the price of lolly-pops and Barbie dolls...

Dusty - you're in dire need of 18 stone of Mayo Man jumping on you repeatedly...