Where's the "mob justice" part? Seems more like crowdsourced investigation. The crowd came up with a theory, that theory was sent to the authorities, and the suspect went to the police preemptively.
> Where's the "mob justice" part? Seems more like crowdsourced investigation.
In this case, same thing.
> The crowd came up with a theory, that theory was sent to the authorities, and the suspect went to the police preemptively.
And you really have no idea why this process might have caused Salah Barhoun to experience genuine fear for his safety and the safety of his family? Not to mention all the anxiety any normal, thinking person experiences when having to deal unexpectedly with both the national media and the police?
When people use the term "mob justice" they are usually referring to something less benign than the public collaborating online to provide the FBI with the tips they're asked the public for.
>And you really have no idea why this process might have caused Salah Barhoun to experience genuine fear for his safety and the safety of his family?
Anyone finding themselves in the spotlight unexpectedly is going to be stressed. He's doing the right thing by going to the authorities. His name will then likely be quickly cleared.
> When people use the term "mob justice" they are usually referring to something less benign than the public collaborating online to provide the FBI with the tips they're asked the public for.
We're using the term advisedly. It's the interpretation of events that there seems to be some disagreement about.
> Anyone finding themselves in the spotlight unexpectedly is going to be stressed. He's doing the right thing by going to the authorities. His name will then likely be quickly cleared.
You completely ignored the question, and it's an important one. Do you really, sincerely not understand how being fingered as a suspect in a very public way, in America, in 2013, in a terrorist bombing case, will cause a dark-skinned guy with a foreign name to experience well-founded and reasonable fear for his safety and the safety of his family?
I don't know how much further I can unpack this for you. "The subreddit" (whatever the hell that means) engaged in a small - perhaps accidental, in the way a lot of what a mob does is accidental - act of terror in a time of terror. Good job with that. It would be nice if they actually acknowledged it, but I expect they'll soon just move on to putting words over pictures of cats.
if i may channel someone i read on HN yesterday: "at what point does the 'crowd' become the 'mob'?" definitively, it seems like a "mob" of people seeking "justice".
it doesn't matter what you call it or what the intent was; you cannot argue that this kid is clearly shaken up and it's affected his family deeply.
I'm not sure if it's useful to use loaded language (that's most often used to describe people anonymously making death threats) when describing people collaborating via the Internet to investigate something. "Mob" isn't usually used to describe a well-behaved crowd.
you're right; point taken. the language can be harmful. but to argue about the language ignores the fact that whatever we call it, it had unintended negative consequences that need to be addressed if we plan on rehashing this tactic.
What if every one on HN, 4Chan etc, decided the bomber was you? Off you go, down to the police station, clear your name, have your prints taken, get a record, maybe if in the UK have your DNA put on record...
Not really mob justice - more like "mob junior Secret Service wannabe activities". The hive mind suggested something, the guy went to the cops and said "uh, uh, not me".
The system worked, at the cost of some inconvenience. Sometimes the police release the photo of a "person of interest" themselves, and that person does much the same thing.
This is such a freaking waste of time. He had to go clear his name, and the cops had to listen to him.