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Senator Asks DOJ to Investigate SWAT-ting Attacks on Conservative Bloggers
A number of conservative bloggers allege they have been targeted through the use of harassment tactics such as SWAT-ting (fooling 911 operators into sending emergency teams to their homes), in retaliation for posts they have written, and now Sen. Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., has stepped into the matter. He has sent a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder urging him to investigate the SWAT-ting cases to see if federal laws have been violated.
“I am writing with concern regarding recent reports that several members of the community of online political commentators have been targeted with harassing and frightening actions. Any potentially criminal action that incites fear, seeks to silence a dissenting opinion, and collaterally wastes the resources of law enforcement should be given close scrutiny at all levels,” Chambliss wrote.
Senator Asks DOJ to Investigate SWAT-ting Attacks on Conservative Bloggers - ABC News
As well as other sites discussed in the article, Patterico and Red State have already been targeted, and these aren't "pizza pranks." In Patterico's case, a phone call was made from inside his home by a man claiming to have killed his wife, but nobody inside the house had phoned. Deputies arrived and helicopters hovered, and the blogger was handcuffed.
I hope that AG Holder will take an interest in this. In the Red State case, Georgia is well aware of a person of interest. In general, though, if it's a cyber-attack, it could come from anywhere, so the DOJ's active involvement makes sense.
A number of conservative bloggers allege they have been targeted through the use of harassment tactics such as SWAT-ting (fooling 911 operators into sending emergency teams to their homes), in retaliation for posts they have written, and now Sen. Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., has stepped into the matter. He has sent a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder urging him to investigate the SWAT-ting cases to see if federal laws have been violated.
“I am writing with concern regarding recent reports that several members of the community of online political commentators have been targeted with harassing and frightening actions. Any potentially criminal action that incites fear, seeks to silence a dissenting opinion, and collaterally wastes the resources of law enforcement should be given close scrutiny at all levels,” Chambliss wrote.
Senator Asks DOJ to Investigate SWAT-ting Attacks on Conservative Bloggers - ABC News
As well as other sites discussed in the article, Patterico and Red State have already been targeted, and these aren't "pizza pranks." In Patterico's case, a phone call was made from inside his home by a man claiming to have killed his wife, but nobody inside the house had phoned. Deputies arrived and helicopters hovered, and the blogger was handcuffed.
I hope that AG Holder will take an interest in this. In the Red State case, Georgia is well aware of a person of interest. In general, though, if it's a cyber-attack, it could come from anywhere, so the DOJ's active involvement makes sense.