18 votes

It started as an online gaming prank. Then it turned deadly - the story of the "swatting" that killed Andrew Finch

11 comments

  1. [2]
    Gaywallet
    Link
    It's not a prank when the intent is malicious.

    It's not a prank when the intent is malicious.

    23 votes
    1. Akir
      Link Parent
      It's terrorism. This guy was intimidating people to do what he wanted them to do. That is far beyond the scope of a simple prank.

      It's terrorism. This guy was intimidating people to do what he wanted them to do. That is far beyond the scope of a simple prank.

      9 votes
  2. DeFaced
    Link
    I pass by that house every day coming home from work. I noticed a bunch of cop cars around that day, even over at the bar across the street, wasn't sure what was going on till I read the news...

    I pass by that house every day coming home from work. I noticed a bunch of cop cars around that day, even over at the bar across the street, wasn't sure what was going on till I read the news during dinner. Pretty crazy how stuff like this can hit so close to home.

    8 votes
  3. [3]
    tunneljumper
    Link
    It's really hard to support VPNs when these stories are the most media exposure they get.

    It's really hard to support VPNs when these stories are the most media exposure they get.

    1. Zeerph
      Link Parent
      Surely the fact that people use VPNs for more benign activities, like accessing otherwise blocked content as folks do in China, Iran, the Gulf States, Indonesia, etc., or for obfuscating marketing...

      Surely the fact that people use VPNs for more benign activities, like accessing otherwise blocked content as folks do in China, Iran, the Gulf States, Indonesia, etc., or for obfuscating marketing and tracking, or for viewing region-blocked content, should be reason enough to support them, despite the fact that there are bad actors.

      9 votes
    2. spctrvl
      Link Parent
      That's like not supporting cars because they're used in drive bys.

      That's like not supporting cars because they're used in drive bys.

      2 votes
  4. [5]
    vakieh
    Link
    Why is the focus so heavily on the people calling it in, and not the fact American cops are so retarded they can be used as a blunt instrument? It's called recon. Learn how to do your jobs.

    Why is the focus so heavily on the people calling it in, and not the fact American cops are so retarded they can be used as a blunt instrument?

    It's called recon. Learn how to do your jobs.

    6 votes
    1. [2]
      pleure
      Link Parent
      I don't disagree but your point was made so crassly it's not going to be received well. On the actual point though, it reminds me of the response to school shootings. The progressive response is...

      I don't disagree but your point was made so crassly it's not going to be received well.

      On the actual point though, it reminds me of the response to school shootings. The progressive response is always to push for gun control, which seems like a very minor issue to me compared to the fact that children in this country are so mentally unwell they're committing massacres.

      13 votes
      1. spctrvl
        Link Parent
        I couldn't agree more. Stricter gun control would save lives and it should be implemented, but it's not solving the problem, it's putting a band-aid on an issue that's only going to become more...

        The progressive response is always to push for gun control, which seems like a very minor issue to me compared to the fact that children in this country are so mentally unwell they're committing massacres.

        I couldn't agree more. Stricter gun control would save lives and it should be implemented, but it's not solving the problem, it's putting a band-aid on an issue that's only going to become more and more serious with the proliferation of home-manufacturing.

        4 votes
    2. [3]
      Comment deleted by author
      Link Parent
      1. [2]
        vakieh
        Link Parent
        While I do have relevant experience, it's not actually required, any more than you need to be a chef to know when something tastes bad. It's not a generalisation to look at the different...

        While I do have relevant experience, it's not actually required, any more than you need to be a chef to know when something tastes bad.

        It's not a generalisation to look at the different strictures placed on police vs military actions, from the level of knowledge required to blast open a door and run in and shoot anything that moves 'suspiciously', to the ability to use non-lethal force to incapacitate people.

        SWAT terrifies people because they know it will work. Because the police have been moulded into one half trigger happy morons playing at an action movie, and the other terrified jumpy morons who see armed black men in every silhouette.

        4 votes
        1. Gaywallet
          Link Parent
          Worse yet, they're protected by law for being jumpy. There's no incentive for them to change their behavior - in fact, quite the opposite. If it saves your life 1 out of 10 times, it's a cost many...

          Worse yet, they're protected by law for being jumpy. There's no incentive for them to change their behavior - in fact, quite the opposite. If it saves your life 1 out of 10 times, it's a cost many will consider worth continuing, even if it kills 9 innocents in the process.

          2 votes