Authorities across the United States are investigating after racist text messages – some with references to “slave catchers” and “picking cotton” reminiscent of the country’s painful and bigoted past – have been received by children, college students and working professionals from unrecognized phone...
Authorities across the United States are investigating after racist text messages – some with references to “slave catchers” and “picking cotton” reminiscent of the country’s painful and bigoted past – have been received by children, college students and working professionals from unrecognized phone numbers in the wake of the presidential election.
The NAACP president warned Thursday of possible broader implications of the hate-filled rhetoric reported in more than 20 states from New York to California, and the District of Columbia. Attorneys general of both parties are condemning the messages and vowing to root out their senders.
“The unfortunate reality of electing a president who, historically, has embraced and at times encouraged hate, is unfolding before our eyes,” NAACP CEO Derrick Johnson said. “These messages represent an alarming increase in vile and abhorrent rhetoric from racist groups across the country, who now feel emboldened to spread hate and stoke the flames of fear that many of us are feeling after Tuesday’s election results.”
Yes it is. Privacy is astonishingly bad here. You buy a house, your name, phone and address are a matter of public record. The phone companies are fighting at court against the FCC because they claim they can sell our location data, and the FCC fined them for it.
This should throw everyone into a perched holding pattern until we know:
Yes or no, was this Russia?
Russia knows their battle isn't actually won yet. They're gonna go hard to get us killing each other. If it was maga, we go from there, but Putin wants us to assume it. No assuming.
This wouldn't be hard for one person to do. A few VoIP accounts, a script to send texts, and a list of names and numbers purchased from any number of data miners for a few bucks. My money is on some neck beard who did it for the lulz.