Doxxing Jane Doe
Online vigilantes are attempting to identify and harass a student who filed a lawsuit against fraternity members, leading to the collateral harassment of other women. The article discusses the legal and ethical challenges of maintaining anonymity for sexual assault survivors in the age of social media.
Why it matters
It highlights the dangerous intersection of digital anonymity, social media harassment, and the legal protections afforded to victims of sexual violence.
Who is Jane Doe? Online vigilantes have tried to expose the Cornell University student who filed a lawsuit accusing seven fraternity members of gang rape, and in so doing have invited a torrent of abuse on several other women. Her lawyers say three women have been falsely identified and harassed — and the real Jane Doe is being inundated with threats, too. “She’s not doing well,” her attorney Thomas Guiffra told CNN on Sunday. “She’s under siege on social media, where people are trying to identify her.”
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