Cyber-bullying is nothing new. In fact almost as long as there has been an Internet, there have been people cold enough to use it for public mocking and abuse. Although it's one thing to post mean things on MySpace or harass someone via IM, it's yet another when there is a site that is essentially completely dedicated to anonymous cyber-bullying. PeoplesDirt.com has been shut down twice since December for various reasons, including misrepresentation to advertisers. But the bigger problem for PeoplesDirt.com (which is again offline) is the content of the site. The bulletin board is broken down by state, then by county, and then by high school, and encourages anonymous visitors to post gossip about anyone they wish, without fear of reprisal. The most recent take down was the result of an investigation started by the Maryland Attorney General. A former student at Walt Whitman High School used the site to post death threats, and parents and school faculty have complained about it repeatedly. A quick Google search for the site turn up plenty of news coverage and blog posts about the racist, homophobic, and just plain mean things posted on it. Walt Whitman Principal, Alan Goodwin, told the Maryland Gazette he was happy to hear the site had been shut down. But many are concerned that this is only a temporary calm and that PeoplesDirt or a site just like it will be back online in no time.
No comments:
Post a Comment