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  3. Online ‘Pedophile Hunters’ Are Growing More Violent — and Going Viral: With the rise of loosely moderated social media platforms, a fringe vigilante movement is experiencing a dangerous evolution.

Online ‘Pedophile Hunters’ Are Growing More Violent — and Going Viral: With the rise of loosely moderated social media platforms, a fringe vigilante movement is experiencing a dangerous evolution.

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  • H [email protected]

    Heh seems to me that these pedophile hunters are just violent hateful people who found a way to make their hate and violence appear righteous.

    There should be no tolerance for vigilante justice in a civilized society.

    I This user is from outside of this forum
    I This user is from outside of this forum
    [email protected]
    wrote on last edited by
    #181

    Ah that's the thing, we're not civilized

    We're about to have roving gang of Nazi vs pedos! Just attacking each other like crime gangs in the streets.

    This is what about when young people have no future.

    H 1 Reply Last reply
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    • microw@lemm.eeM [email protected]

      The issue here is that most countries define the age of consent differently. I think we can agree that when a 16 year old agrees to sexual contact with another 16 year old, the dynamic is different than if they agree to it with a 40 year old. Absolutely. But that does not mean that the 16 year old doesnt understand what they are doing.

      S This user is from outside of this forum
      S This user is from outside of this forum
      [email protected]
      wrote on last edited by
      #182

      Indeed. It's based on each society. That said, I remember myself at 16. I in no way understood the risk/reward of my choices. It probably took me to 25 to be what I would consider fully conscious.

      F 1 Reply Last reply
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      • I [email protected]

        Pedo accusations don't come from concerns for kids but from enpowerement to do violence and the ability to righteously attack.

        This inversion from concern for others to desire to cause harm through paranoia derived justifications is becoming a real problem.

        If someone steps in to stop them attacking the innocent they will claim those people are defending pedos.

        We're going to have the stupidest of wars on our hands.

        A This user is from outside of this forum
        A This user is from outside of this forum
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        wrote on last edited by
        #183

        One could call them the "Stupid Wars"

        C 1 Reply Last reply
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        • M [email protected]

          It’s usually done by posing as a teenager in chats, then they get confronted at the meet-up.

          Pretty solid way to identify the right person.

          F This user is from outside of this forum
          F This user is from outside of this forum
          [email protected]
          wrote on last edited by
          #184

          Pretty solid way to identify the right person.

          And that's why entrapment is a legally sanctioned investigation strategy for law enforcement.

          Oh, wait, it isn't, because of all the abuses that resulted from its use.

          archrecord@lemm.eeA 1 Reply Last reply
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          • R [email protected]

            The Nazis were fascists that looked to create a 1000 year reich and believed the destiny was to birth the master race. Trump et al are not doing this which means they are a different kind of fascist than Nazis. That doesn’t make it better much like being shot with a .308 instead of a .44 caliber round isn’t “better” it just makes it a different kind of harm.

            excrubulent@slrpnk.netE This user is from outside of this forum
            excrubulent@slrpnk.netE This user is from outside of this forum
            [email protected]
            wrote on last edited by
            #185

            They are literally zeig-heiling.

            R 1 Reply Last reply
            0
            • W [email protected]

              Hang on- do you think this is not EXACTLY what will be coming from the alt-right sooner than later? I mean, for your sake, I hope you’re right- I don’t live in the states- I live in a developed country where I’m somewhat more insulated from this garbage. Feel free to wait around and see how it shakes out, I guess.

              walk_blessed@lemmy.blahaj.zoneW This user is from outside of this forum
              walk_blessed@lemmy.blahaj.zoneW This user is from outside of this forum
              [email protected]
              wrote on last edited by
              #186

              My god you're thick. The point is that those are exactly the sort of people who are doing this shit.

              1 Reply Last reply
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              • microw@lemm.eeM [email protected]

                Imported US culture (movies, TV etc) has successfully planted the idea in a lot of people that teenagers under 18 are "essentially the same as little children". So no one cares about technicalities.

                F This user is from outside of this forum
                F This user is from outside of this forum
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                wrote on last edited by
                #187

                Yeah, many normal, healthy people (even Americans) started having sex long before they were 18.

                F 1 Reply Last reply
                0
                • R [email protected]

                  The Nazis were fascists that looked to create a 1000 year reich and believed the destiny was to birth the master race. Trump et al are not doing this which means they are a different kind of fascist than Nazis. That doesn’t make it better much like being shot with a .308 instead of a .44 caliber round isn’t “better” it just makes it a different kind of harm.

                  C This user is from outside of this forum
                  C This user is from outside of this forum
                  [email protected]
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #188

                  I'd say that the nazi salute on live tv sealed the deal.

                  If it looks like a Nazi and squeak like a Nazi, it's a fucking Nazi.

                  R 1 Reply Last reply
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                  • S [email protected]

                    Vigilantism is just a sign that government has become too corrupt to deal with problems effectively. It can be good or evil, it can be effective or a complete nightmarish excuse to get rid of hates minorities or people the majority simply fell out of favor with.

                    But if you're a victim under that corrupt government, it's the only solution you have, so its hard not to cheer. No one is shedding tears for torched tesla's in dealerships or the dead ceo Saint Luigi was framed for killing.

                    Its just harder to trust and justify clout chasers attacking essentially random people they themselves labeled with a crime that no one can reasonably defend themselves against.

                    F This user is from outside of this forum
                    F This user is from outside of this forum
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                    wrote on last edited by
                    #189

                    Vigilantism is just a sign that government has become too corrupt

                    There was a lot of vigilantism during Reconstruction because the government was NOT corrupt.

                    But if you’re a victim under that corrupt government, it’s the only solution you have, so its hard not to cheer. No one is shedding tears for torched tesla’s in dealerships or the dead ceo Saint Luigi was framed for killing.

                    When the political and judicial systems are riddled with corruption, rough justice might be the only justice for some kinds of crime.

                    Its just harder to trust and justify clout chasers

                    If they're paid by the click, they're part of the problem, not the solution.

                    1 Reply Last reply
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                    • H [email protected]

                      Heh seems to me that these pedophile hunters are just violent hateful people who found a way to make their hate and violence appear righteous.

                      There should be no tolerance for vigilante justice in a civilized society.

                      K This user is from outside of this forum
                      K This user is from outside of this forum
                      [email protected]
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #190

                      “Where [is] evil? It’s that large part of every man that wants to hate without limit, that wants to hate with God on its side.”
                      ― Kurt Vonnegut, Mother Night

                      1 Reply Last reply
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                      • A [email protected]

                        One could call them the "Stupid Wars"

                        C This user is from outside of this forum
                        C This user is from outside of this forum
                        [email protected]
                        wrote on last edited by
                        #191

                        "Stupid wars need the MOST attention."

                        1 Reply Last reply
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                        • D [email protected]

                          I wish that article had more information on how the framed person proved their innocence. It's probably boring but he must have felt like he was taking crazy pills when he was framed.

                          ? Offline
                          ? Offline
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                          wrote on last edited by
                          #192

                          Here is more info:

                          "Barry Ardolf, a Minnesota hacker prosecutors described as a 'depraved criminal,' has been handed an 18-year prison term for unleashing a vendetta of cyberterror that turned his neighbors' lives into a living nightmare. Ardolf hacked into his next-door neighbors' Wi-Fi network and used it to try and frame them for child pornography, sexual harassment, various kinds of professional misconduct, and to send threatening e-mail to politicians, including Vice President Joe Biden. The bizarre tale began in 2009 when Matt and Bethany Kostolnik moved into the house next door to Ardolf. On their first day at their new home, the Kostolnik's then-4-year-old son wandered near Ardolf's house. While carrying him back next door, Ardolf allegedly kissed the boy on the lips. 'We've just moved next door to a pedophile,' Mrs. Kostolnik told her husband. The couple reported Ardolf to the police, angering their creepy new neighbor (PDF). 'I decided to "get even" by launching computer attacks against him,' said Ardolf, who downloaded Wi-Fi hacking software and spent two weeks cracking the Kostolnik's WEP encryption. Then he used their own Wi-Fi network to create a fake MySpace page for the husband, where he posted a picture of a pubescent girl having sex with two young boys. Ardolf turned down a 2-year plea agreement last year to charges related to the Biden e-mail. After that, the authorities piled on more charges, including identity theft and two kiddie-porn accusations carrying lifetime sex-offender registration requirements."

                          https://it.slashdot.org/story/11/07/13/0445224/the-wi-fi-hacking-neighbor-from-hell

                          D 1 Reply Last reply
                          0
                          • S [email protected]

                            Children can't consent. Teenagers fucking is without consent. Their brains, on the average, are not capable of making that level of decision.

                            But that doesn't make it illegal.

                            F This user is from outside of this forum
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                            wrote on last edited by
                            #193

                            Teenagers fucking is without consent. Their brains, on the average, are not capable of making that level of decision.

                            What an absolute crock.

                            That's the theory behind the law, OK, but the notion that someone is incapable of consent the day before their 18th birthday, but fully capable the following day, is manifestly stupid. I've raised three kids to adulthood. All of them had sexual relations before they were 18 and there's nothing wrong with any of them. Don't let religious nuts and the pathologically undersexed make your laws, it won't work out.

                            S 1 Reply Last reply
                            0
                            • zak@lemmy.worldZ [email protected]

                              We’ve decided, as a society, that humans cannot consent until 18.

                              Older criminal laws were based on that idea, usually called "statutory rape". Modern laws about sexual abuse of children usually ignore the concept of consent entirely to allow for more nuance.

                              One example of nuance is exceptions for people close in age so that non-abusive relationships between teenagers don't suddenly become crimes when someone has a birthday. Another is that consent is often a factor in the severity of the penalty.

                              F This user is from outside of this forum
                              F This user is from outside of this forum
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                              wrote on last edited by
                              #194

                              consent is often a factor in the severity of the penalty

                              If there's no consent, it's sexual assault at a minimum and more likely rape.

                              1 Reply Last reply
                              0
                              • S [email protected]

                                Yes and that's completely fair. It's about the imbalance of power. An 18 y.o. and one day, is exactly the same as they were two days prior.

                                But the cutoff has to be somewhere, and the guy I was replying to was talking about proper adults and 16 y.o.

                                That's a highschool sophomore. And I think we'd all agree a sophomore dating a college student would be pretty imbalanced.

                                F This user is from outside of this forum
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                                wrote on last edited by
                                #195

                                The age of consent in many developed countries is 16.

                                1 Reply Last reply
                                0
                                • excrubulent@slrpnk.netE [email protected]

                                  They are literally zeig-heiling.

                                  R This user is from outside of this forum
                                  R This user is from outside of this forum
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                                  wrote on last edited by
                                  #196

                                  Ok? How does that change my statement that they are a different kind of fascist? Keep in mind my point is entirely focused on the ideology part of the political ideology whereas you are talking about a salute. How does an arm motion change the policy goals which aren't the same as what Nazis support? What policy goal can you derive from an arm motion to begin with?

                                  They are still evil they are just a different kind of evil. Not all fascists are nazis. The fact that one guy did a nazi salute twice doesn't change project 2025,

                                  excrubulent@slrpnk.netE 1 Reply Last reply
                                  0
                                  • C [email protected]

                                    I'd say that the nazi salute on live tv sealed the deal.

                                    If it looks like a Nazi and squeak like a Nazi, it's a fucking Nazi.

                                    R This user is from outside of this forum
                                    R This user is from outside of this forum
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                                    wrote on last edited by
                                    #197

                                    From my reply to another

                                    "Ok? How does that change my statement that they are a different kind of fascist? Keep in mind my point is entirely focused on the ideology part of the political ideology whereas you are talking about a salute. How does an arm motion change the policy goals which aren’t the same as what Nazis support? What policy goal can you derive from an arm motion to begin with?

                                    They are still evil they are just a different kind of evil. Not all fascists are nazis. The fact that one guy did a nazi salute twice doesn’t change project 2025 into something that Nazis would support."

                                    S 1 Reply Last reply
                                    0
                                    • F [email protected]

                                      Teenagers fucking is without consent. Their brains, on the average, are not capable of making that level of decision.

                                      What an absolute crock.

                                      That's the theory behind the law, OK, but the notion that someone is incapable of consent the day before their 18th birthday, but fully capable the following day, is manifestly stupid. I've raised three kids to adulthood. All of them had sexual relations before they were 18 and there's nothing wrong with any of them. Don't let religious nuts and the pathologically undersexed make your laws, it won't work out.

                                      S This user is from outside of this forum
                                      S This user is from outside of this forum
                                      [email protected]
                                      wrote on last edited by
                                      #198

                                      That's the theory behind the law

                                      Exactly my point.

                                      Consent is a legal concept, not a moral one.

                                      There's nothing wrong with teens fucking each other. It's just not "with consent". Consent is agreement between adults of sound mind. They are not adults.

                                      E 1 Reply Last reply
                                      0
                                      • ? Guest

                                        Here is more info:

                                        "Barry Ardolf, a Minnesota hacker prosecutors described as a 'depraved criminal,' has been handed an 18-year prison term for unleashing a vendetta of cyberterror that turned his neighbors' lives into a living nightmare. Ardolf hacked into his next-door neighbors' Wi-Fi network and used it to try and frame them for child pornography, sexual harassment, various kinds of professional misconduct, and to send threatening e-mail to politicians, including Vice President Joe Biden. The bizarre tale began in 2009 when Matt and Bethany Kostolnik moved into the house next door to Ardolf. On their first day at their new home, the Kostolnik's then-4-year-old son wandered near Ardolf's house. While carrying him back next door, Ardolf allegedly kissed the boy on the lips. 'We've just moved next door to a pedophile,' Mrs. Kostolnik told her husband. The couple reported Ardolf to the police, angering their creepy new neighbor (PDF). 'I decided to "get even" by launching computer attacks against him,' said Ardolf, who downloaded Wi-Fi hacking software and spent two weeks cracking the Kostolnik's WEP encryption. Then he used their own Wi-Fi network to create a fake MySpace page for the husband, where he posted a picture of a pubescent girl having sex with two young boys. Ardolf turned down a 2-year plea agreement last year to charges related to the Biden e-mail. After that, the authorities piled on more charges, including identity theft and two kiddie-porn accusations carrying lifetime sex-offender registration requirements."

                                        https://it.slashdot.org/story/11/07/13/0445224/the-wi-fi-hacking-neighbor-from-hell

                                        D This user is from outside of this forum
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                                        wrote on last edited by
                                        #199

                                        Oh wow, thanks!

                                        1 Reply Last reply
                                        0
                                        • S [email protected]

                                          That's what police already does tbh

                                          Also, if somebody is doing that and gets caught, I doubt they will get any sympathy from society.

                                          Vigelanty justice only works when target deserved like the dead CEO, otherwise it just crime.

                                          R This user is from outside of this forum
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                                          wrote on last edited by
                                          #200

                                          Vigelanty justice only works when target deserved like the dead CEO, otherwise it just crime.

                                          You clearly see the world in black-and-white, when it really is made up of shades of grey.

                                          Which means that since you haven’t already gotten the point, all the crayons and construction paper in the world isn’t going to help.

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