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[smjjames]

CNN doxxed someone over a Trump gif.

Classy.

Well, some are claiming that they did so, CNN is claiming that they didn't. It certainly has the appearance of doxxing. Rather low blow for them if they did so.

[Rolan7]

Wait so, people are claiming that CNN has leaked his info somehow?  That seems weird, not sure who they would be leaking to or what motive they would have.

CNN doxxed someone over a Trump gif.

Classy.

They literally didn't, obviously.  They identified the user, and contacted him, but didn't release his info.
fake news

They did all the legwork and then withheld it to try and coerce him into apologizing and not making any more memes about them. Same process, same intent, but honestly even scummier.

Spoiler: This was the gif, incidentally. (click to show/hide)

Not even anything remarkable, just the CNN logo pasted over the face of that guy from the old Trump wrestling video. Proud culture warriors at work, stopping people from making shitty memes. It's been how many decades and they still don't understand how the Streisand Effect works?

Well no, it's not scummier than an actual doxxing.  Come on.
It is still kinda disturbing, and I wonder whether they've crossed a line.  In their opinion it's a incitement of violence.  I disagree, but I see where they're coming from, and all they required was a lasting retraction.

[smjjames]

TBH, the guy seemed really hypocritical after all the racist posts and ectcetera and trying to apologize in like "I didn't mean it!, that's not who I am! Trolling is not okay! I'm killing my account! Bye! AAAH!".

@roland: They're (Well, Donald Trump Jr. and the alt-right) accusing CNN of blackmailing the guy, not of releasing personal information.

[overseer05-15]

CNN doxxed someone over a Trump gif.

Classy.

Well, some are claiming that they did so, CNN is claiming that they didn't. It certainly has the appearance of doxxing. Rather low blow for them if they did so.

Doxxing by any other name is still a dick move.

[wierd]

They definitely crossed a line Rolan:

The classy thing to do is to request, publicly, that "Mr Solo" provide the apology they sought, and then when he naturally refused (for being a douchebag), then out him as a douchebag, but dont give his personal details, or even bother obtaining them.

Instead, they used their network of informants and other means to obtain his real identity, privately blackmailed him into submission, then crowed about it.

[NJW2000]

network of informants

literally?

[wierd]

Seriously? Do you not know how investigative journalism works, or why the press has to protect its anonymous sources, or even what anonymous sources are?!

[EnigmaticHat]

TBH, the guy seemed really hypocritical after all the racist posts and ectcetera and trying to apologize in like "I didn't mean it!, that's not who I am! Trolling is not okay! I'm killing my account! Bye! AAAH!".

@roland: They're (Well, Donald Trump Jr. and the alt-right) accusing CNN of blackmailing the guy, not of releasing personal information.

Oh yeah, I have no sympathy for this guy in particular.  But like, CNN has standards and should be held to standards.

[TempAcc]

Even if there was a legitimate reason to go to all these lenghts to track down the guy (which there isn't), they should've solved the issue privately, not make an article bragging about how they tracked down this one guy and basically had all the power to dox him. Its bad enough that he could sue them, if CNN didn't have a huge pack of defense lawyers to make sure the common person cannot have a legal battle with them without being finantially ruined, that is.

Seriously though, the guy made one fucking meme, nothing justifies CNN's actions in regards to this, even if the guy waswere an actual nazi.

Isn't this forum the very same in which people keep saying how bigass corporations are evil and should not be allowed to hurt the common man? Why take the ~soft gloves on~ approach with CNN in this matter?

[NJW2000]

Seriously? Do you not know how investigative journalism works, or why the press has to protect its anonymous sources, or even what anonymous sources are?!

Using identifying information that "HanA**holeSolo" posted on Reddit, KFile was able to determine key biographical details, to find the man's name using a Facebook search and ultimately corroborate details he had made available on Reddit.

Oh, sry, guess my lack of understanding of what an anonymous source is made me misinterpret that.

[Dunamisdeos]

Seriously though, the guy made one fucking meme, nothing justifies CNN's actions in regards to this, even if the guy was an actual nazi.

+1

[smjjames]

TBH, the guy seemed really hypocritical after all the racist posts and ectcetera and trying to apologize in like "I didn't mean it!, that's not who I am! Trolling is not okay! I'm killing my account! Bye! AAAH!".

@roland: They're (Well, Donald Trump Jr. and the alt-right) accusing CNN of blackmailing the guy, not of releasing personal information.

Oh yeah, I have no sympathy for this guy in particular.  But like, CNN has standards and should be held to standards.

I agree here, they should have avoided even the slightest appearance of even trying to doxx the guy.

[Rolan7]

Actually I agree now, they crossed a line (I was on the fence).  It comes down to whether people should be free to say things anonymously, and I think that's a right we should protect.  Even threats or incitement of violence (which this arguably is).

Ethically I think that applies even if someone doesn't guard their privacy perfectly.  I know I could be tied to this account, but it's still scummy to "catch" someone who believes they're anonymous.

I've often argued that 4chan is useful for its anonymity, and I shouldn't change my mind just because this is, well... a serious news agency versus a douchebag.

Instead, they used their network of informants and other means to obtain his real identity, privately blackmailed him into submission, then crowed about it.

I don't see how the blackmail was at all private, but otherwise I mostly agree. 
Another option would have been to not track down the creator at all...  I mean, people create way more heinous and threatening shit constantly.  This one's only notable because Trump picked it up, not anything this "Solo" guy did.  I don't like him, but he really didn't deserve this.

Seriously though, the guy made one fucking meme, nothing justifies CNN's actions in regards to this, even if the guy was an actual nazi.

+1

+1

[TempAcc]

How is the gif incitement to violence though? Its a satyrical meme made from a goddamn WWE event thing in which Trump took part in. A WWE meme.

Its like if I pasted the image of someone over the black knight's scene from Monthy Python (when he gets his limbs chopped off) and someone called that incitement to violence.

EDIT: turns out CNN may actualy have threatened the wrong person, too, and the guy they found only cropped the original gif, which was created by someone else.

[wierd]

Seriously? Do you not know how investigative journalism works, or why the press has to protect its anonymous sources, or even what anonymous sources are?!

Using identifying information that "HanA**holeSolo" posted on Reddit, KFile was able to determine key biographical details, to find the man's name using a Facebook search and ultimately corroborate details he had made available on Reddit.

Oh, sry, guess my lack of understanding of what an anonymous source is made me misinterpret that.

Sarcasm aside, the existence of a dedicated effort under the name KFILE is sufficient to hold the title of "Network of informants", even if they are not anonymous. Hell, a "call in line" is part of a network of informants. (You know, something as innocuous as 1-800-crimestoppers).  The media uses reporters, who try to get dirt themselves, but the media also uses and enlists the support of other people when doing the investigation for their stories. Some people are better to interview than others, either because they are more tractable for an interview, or because they are in positions to know with authority. It does not matter if those individuals are anonymous or not, they are informants, which is why they get interviewed in the journalistic process.  So, I stand by the first part of my shocked reply.

In this instance, a twitter feed called KFILE exists, which is dominated by who I presume to be its maintainer-- Andrew Kaczynski. Being a public twitter feed, anyone can post there, even anonymous twitter users using pseudonyms. It therefor qualifies as a network for informants.

Unless you want to specify how exactly, it is NOT a network for informants, that is.