New York City had to shut down its social-distancing 'snitch-line' after it was flooded by trolls brandishing penis pictures and Hitler memes
- New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio's 311 text service, meant for calling out those who didn't follow social distancing guidelines, became a target for online trolls.
- Twitter users have posted screenshots of the colorful messages they said were going to the 311 text line, including Adolf Hitler memes, penis references, and other graphic imagery.
- "This issue has been resolved, but it was not a technical issue on 311's part," mayoral spokeswoman Olivia Lapeyrolerie told the New York Post.
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New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio wanted New Yorkers to notify his office when they saw others flouting social distancing measures. What his office received was many pictures of penises, Hitler, and inappropriate messages.
The mayor's office temporarily shut down the 311 text service on Tuesday, according to the New York Post, due to the onslaught of inappropriate texts.
"This issue has been resolved, but it was not a technical issue on 311's part," mayoral spokeswoman Olivia Lapeyrolerie told the New York Post.
The mayor announced the new text service on April 18, asking people to "snap a photo" of places that didn't enforce social distancing and text it to the new number.
Twitter users have posted screenshots of the colorful messages they said were going to the 311 text line, including Adolf Hitler memes, penis references, and other graphic imagery. Many of the accounts sharing their texts appeared to be conservatives bashing the mayor, who is a Democrat, who don't necessarily live in New York. Others were concerned that the text line would encourage people to "snitch" on their neighbors.
Some of the messages commented on the mayor's violation of distancing measures by going to the gym in March.
Trolling behavior online has only gotten worse with the coronavirus pandemic as millions worldwide are stuck at home. Zoom-bombing, wherein infiltrators descend on video conferences of organizations, schools, businesses, and religious ceremonies has become a hallmark of internet behavior during this pandemic.
"Trolls will descend on any situation and exploit what many researchers call a socio-technical vulnerability to prank and harass," Gabriella Coleman, who teaches about computer hackers and digital activism at McGill University and has published multiple books on hacking, told Insider in a previous interview.
The mayor's press office did not return Insider's request for comment.
- Read more:
- Zoom-bombing has become a popular form of trolling during quarantine. In many cases, it may be illegal, according to experts.
- Zoom-bombers used a swastika, pornography, and anti-Semitic language to invade a Holocaust Remembrance Day call: 'It felt like our voice was taken from us'
- New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio violates his own government's recommendations and hits the gym in Brooklyn amid the coronavirus shutdown
- Trolls and bots are flooding social media with disinformation encouraging states to end quarantine