Online mobs

Koreans call what these not-so-virtual mobs do “cyberviolence.” First they “demonize those they disagree with,” the BBC reports, then they somehow obtain and pass around their victim’s home address or other contact data, financial info, employer’s phone number, etc., and spread rumors to affect the victim’s social status. An example the BBC gives is a comedian on a South Korean game show where one celebrity provokes his or her celebrity opponent into “reacting to put-downs.” The comic joked that his pop star opponent had a fake smile. But the latter’s fans threatened to kill the comedian for what he said. “The spiteful comments and threats continued for 12 months…. All of Korea's police stations now have a cyber terror unit to help deal with the problem. The number of cases referred to Korea's Internet Commission tripled last year.”