We should curb digital vigilantes
A Duncan truck driver is paying the price for parking in a handicapped stall in Victoria. Photos of his truck were published on a Facebook site that specializes in shaming bad drivers. (We’re not naming the site, or other Web locations discussed here, since the last thing they deserve is more publicity).
After the truck owner’s contact information was disclosed, he had people driving past his house yelling obscenities, and his business took a beating online.
Of course, nothing aggravates us more than other people’s driving habits. (We’re more lenient about our own.) And motorists with disabilities have a difficult enough time without being forced to deal with thoughtlessness of this kind (the driver subsequently apologized).
But there is a worrisome trend here that should be given its name: vigilantism. No doubt participants in this mob behaviour disagree. Perhaps they believe that by drawing attention to foolish or illegal actions, they serve a broader interest.
However, what matters is not the intent, but the method employed. It’s one thing to have a quiet talk with someone who acts out in public. Queue-jumping, for example, can produce a few choice words from the shoppers you stepped ahead of.
That’s how the rules of polite behaviour are supposed be enforced — in person and with tact.
The shaming site in question, however, has nothing to do with civility. It aims to exploit baser instincts and incite public anger.
And regrettably, this is merely one of the milder examples of what appears to be a growing trend. More troubling instances spring up by the day.
A website that operates in B.C., as well as in other provinces, publishes confrontations with alleged pedophiles.
Staff engaged by the site pose online as young, underage women, and invite men to meet them at designated locations. Cameras are present to film whoever shows up. Videos have been posted of confrontations in Victoria, Surrey and numerous other cities.
The website itself is a mash-up of allegations about people who might well be innocent, mock concern for factuality, ignorance of the law (both civil and criminal) and general thuggishness.
Equally troubling, law-enforcement agencies in the capital region fear that vigilantism of this sort can compromise investigations.
They point out that tens of thousands of dollars have been wasted by police forces across the country, following tips from sites like these that turn out to be groundless. And they warn that provoking confrontations in this manner can lead to serious physical harm, or worse, for everyone involved.
The question is what should be done. Anyone falsely accused of improper behaviour — especially something so serious as pedophilia — has the right to bring a civil lawsuit.
But how many victims can afford that, and what effect would the publicity have if they did? They could end up winning in court, yet having their name smeared far and wide.
There is, however, a more viable solution. Crown prosecutors have the authority to file libel charges under Canada’s Criminal Code.
To date, this has been done infrequently. There have been only five instances in B.C. since 2002, and none appear to have involved an online offender.
But this might be the best way to rein in the more ugly forms of vigilantism before things get completely out of hand.
The advent of social media has brought many benefits. But its power to appeal to the worst in us, while providing a cloak of virtual anonymity, cannot be ignored.
There is an echo here of the former Soviet Union, where citizens spied on each other in the name of a higher good. That is, in reality, what these hue-and-cry websites are about.
It’s time we took forceful measures to deal with this threat.