Zoe Quinn Created an Online Harassment Support Group

Hey Duders,

Zoe Quinn and some of the other targets of the recent online gaming kerfuffle that will not be named created a new internet task force to help support targets of online harassment. The new task force, named Crash Override (Hackers!), seems to have a bunch of people with media, computer security, and information security expertise. The whole point of this new support group/ task force is to provide harassment targets with information and strategies to keep themselves safe in the face of things like libel, swatting, doxxing, and other (unfortunately) standard forms of internet attack. The whole endeavor is being spearheaded by Zoe and her current boyfriend and they are running their main website and infrastructure out of pocket and at no cost to people seeking help (they also aren't taking donations of any kind). So If you are or have been the target of online harassment it looks like their site might be a good place to look for help.

Here is a link to the main site if you need one: http://www.crashoverridenetwork.com/

Here is their mission statement:

Crash Override is a support network and assistance group for victims and targets of unique forms of online harassment, composed entirely of experienced survivors. Our network includes experts in information security, white hat hacking, PR, law enforcement, legal, threat monitoring, and counselling. Most, if not all, of our agents are former clients. Prior to formal launch, our trial runs had great success in helping victims lock down their information, prevent SWATing attempts, and feel like they were back in control of their online life.

Our network works preventatively and reactively, warning targets and working with them during episodes of harassment to keep them safe and provide them with the means to reduce harm and rebuild, as well as disempower their harassers. We understand that every case of online harassment is unique in terms of its targets, aggressors, and circumstances, and that no one plan of survival is suitable for everyone. We instead work with clients to tailor a unique plans of action, informed by our own experience and prior success in the field.

Crash Override’s process is transparent and thorough. We are not a vigilante group and do not take retaliatory action against abusers. We focus on safety, security, and recovery from incidents of online harassment, using well-established, humane, and transparent channels to disempower abuse and reduce the ability abusers have to perpetuate it. We do not fight harassment with more harassment. We work with law enforcement, media, and social infrastructure to respond to threats, and encourage informed changes in policy and systems to proactively reduce future abuse.

I think its pretty awesome that there is now a group dedicated to helping the victims of online harassment and providing a level of support that previously did not exist. I'm glad that there are people out there that are willing and able to help rather than simply saying, "that's terrible I wish someone would do something, but you can't really stop the internet from being the internet." I hope someone finds this useful!

That's neat. I'm really concerned it'll become a magnet for people who just want to watch the women burn.

@mortuss_zero: Her twitter account and personal accounts are already that. This group at least has a separate twitter and Gmail with multiple people sharing the burden.

while the genesis of this thing is immensely regrettable (the mountain of shit that zoe had to endure is cause to lose faith in humanity), it's comforting to know that experience has lead to SOMETHING positive.

Seems like it could be helpful; cyberbullying is certainly many times worse than regular bullying - being attacked by heaps of people all around the world doesn't sound especially pleasant.

Also, what is going on with the design of that website? o_O It looks like it was designed by Crytek...

@thatpinguino: Don't get me wrong, I really hope this helps out with all the people who are suffering. I just know when you hand angry internet people a target, and some of those angry internet people are or know hackers, then bad stuff can happen.

I'll just take my pessimism elsewhere for now, it's not helping.

That's great; I hope it's effective. Zoë Quinn deserves a medal for enduring a mountain of shit and still come out the other end wanting to help others.

AMAZING news! I'm sure that organization is already incredibly complicated to run, but I hope that they can work with or influence actual law enforcement to take on some of this work as well. As their mission statement beautifully says, "Our goal is to create a place where organizations like ours are no longer needed.", but I think influencing the "internet at large" is just a piece of this sadly necessary puzzle. The final step is for digital threats to be considered and investigated as potentially dangerous as they already are offline.

@mortuss_zero: Certainly and your pessimism isn't unfounded. I just hope that since many of the people involved have been though most of the worst stuff that can happen they can give a perspective that no other group can.

MAXIMUM SUPPORT NETWORK

I thought Alienware, personally. Take your internet harassment trauma recovery... to the X-treme! ;)

Seriously though, I remember Zoe in one of the GDCcasts talking about raising bees, so that might explain the background. It is a pretty harsh look for a site that's meant to be welcoming, but that's the most petty complaint possible of this wonderful effort.

Zoe Quinn deserves a Golden Duder award. It's really cool to see her doing this with her own money and without profit.

I hope something comes of this for the people that need this sort of thing.

The only real downside to this is that there's gonna be a huge wave of Youtube ranters raving about how awful this is.

I remember a week ago there was an article made by her about her ongoing harassments. So it was all an introduction to this.

Great idea, terrible name.

So are all the assholes of the internet going to make their own support group named the Acid Burn Network?

So how long before someone DDoS'es this thing?

Good on Zoe! It's a damn shame something like this has to exist, but she's doing the right thing by gathering a community to prevent and fight back. I really hope people aren't assholes and have this back fire on her.

This is a cool idea, but that website design. Oof.

Yeah! Good for her!

Good for her. I'm sure it will draw in some more shit in some form or another, because people are assholes, but hopefully it does more good than bad.

It's unfortunate that this kind of group is necessary but I'm glad that it exists.

Who the fuck designed that website? Shame on you, person. Also, really bad name. Cool idea, though.

Yep. They wanted to bring her down, but instead they made her more powerful than they could possibly imagine and that is awesome.

@wakkaflakkachimmichonga: You know 90% of her entire job is online right? Like she does her own PR and networking. Walking away from the computer isn't really an option for an indie dev. Also giving up social media and email is not a fair price to pay for people being assholes.

People were calling her family and friends and threatening to show up at her house so I don't really see how closing her eyes would fix that.

Sign up 90% of the DotA community.

Hahahaha. If I had a dollar for every time someone told me to kill myself while playing Dota 2....

Good. Being online is not an excuse to expect harassment and other toxic behavior.

We do not fight harassment with more harassment. We work with law enforcement, media, and social infrastructure to respond to threats, and encourage informed changes in policy and systems to proactively reduce future abuse.

That's a very important clause and something I can get behind.

@wolfgame: What are you talking about? It was the origins of the whole gamergate thing

I'm really glad that exists. I really hope that it makes some sort of difference.

@luxer: Please don't repeat that nonsense from 6 months ago. She hasn't lived in her own home for 6 months and her parents are still getting calls from internet people. Lets not play the "she was mean to a group of developers" game again. Lets not pretend that there is any equivalence between what she has given and what she has received. The people her group has helped were targets of swatting attempts, not internet arguments.

There was at least one swatting victim that credited Zoe and her new team of harassment busters with helping keep him safe. I think that earns her some benefit of the doubt if you need more evidence.

As long as the organization stays true to their constructive mission statement and takes the high road when it comes to harassment, which I have no reason to doubt at this point, that seems like an excellent idea. Zoe Quinn would certainly know how to handle that sort of thing.

This is great hear and glad that she is doing some positive out of this mess.

@wolfgame: How she handled the Fine Young Capitalists was not perfect and I disagree with some of what she did, but from what I've read on the topic it looks a whole lot like a public fight between two parties, not harassment. Also the fact that we have to have this discussion every time Zoe's name comes up is upsetting.

Like what would she have to do to make the people who don't like her happy? Is there any way to? She started a harassment support group and helped people avoid cops breaking down their door. Do we honestly need to have another conversation about how she was a jerk to TFYC and they were jerks right back?

Reminder: the suggestion that Zoë Quinn doxxed or harassed anyone is a barefaced lie designed to justify the horrific treatment she's been subjected to. It's shameful that people are regurgitating that nonsense to try and tear down what should be an utterly uncontroversial organisation.

That's awesome.