Online anonymity makes cyber-hate threats credible portals to physical attack

Evidence

Participants in Awan and Zempi’s study also highlighted the relationship between cyberand physical-world anti-Muslim hate crime, and described living in fear because of the possibility of online threats materializing in the ‘real world’ (Awan and Zempi 2015). Unarguably, the internet allows people to take on a new and anonymous identity, and to bypass traditional editorial controls, to share their views with millions. Online anti-Muslim hate messages can be sent anonymously or by using a false identity, making it difficult to identify the offender. The anonymity aspect in cases of online anti-Muslim hate messages is extremely frightening, as the perpetrator could be anyone and the online threats could escalate into the physical space. — Runnymede Trust (ed. Farah Elahi & Omar Khan), Islamophobia, 360

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Establishing identity and a communication line creates new exploitable threat value — Thomas C. Schelling, The Strategy of Conflict, 326; Credible threats can be conveyed by action rather than verbal pledge — Thomas C. Schelling, The Strategy of Conflict, 34; Selecting visibly irrational agents can make threats credible — Thomas C. Schelling, The Strategy of Conflict, 332 (+1 more)

Broader Connections

• Establishing identity and a communication line creates new exploitable threat value #expands (0.82) — Thomas C. Schelling, The Strategy of Conflict, 326
• Hinted threats gain credibility precisely because they are deniable #expands (0.80) — Thomas C. Schelling, The Strategy of Conflict, 781
• Selecting visibly irrational agents can make threats credible #expands (0.75) — Thomas C. Schelling, The Strategy of Conflict, 332
• Credible threats can be conveyed by action rather than verbal pledge #expands (0.72) — Thomas C. Schelling, The Strategy of Conflict, 34