Technology
Online vigilantes are harassing innocent women while hunting an anonymous rape accuser
An organized campaign to unmask a Cornell student suing fraternity members has spiraled into coordinated abuse of multiple women, most of whom have no connection to the case.
The Verge
A Cornell University student pursuing a lawsuit against seven fraternity members accused of gang rape has sought to remain anonymous in court proceedings—a practice that judges may grant when identifying a plaintiff poses genuine safety risks. Yet online vigilantes, working largely in the open across X and Substack, have launched a coordinated effort to expose her identity, resulting in a cascade of harassment directed at multiple women, the majority of whom have no involvement in the case whatsoever.
According to her legal team, at least three women have been mistakenly identified and inundated with abuse. The actual plaintiff herself faces torrents of threats and sexual harassment across social media. "She's under siege on social media, where people are trying to identify her," her attorney told CNN.
How the Doxxing Campaign Unfolded#
The push to unmask the student originated on X, where podcast host and author Michael Tracey—known for expressing skepticism about allegations against Jeffrey Epstein—publicly solicited information about her identity. Aidan Thompson, who runs AF Post, an outlet aligned with America First ideology, made similar requests, specifically appealing to the "burnerverse," a network of anonymous X accounts that discuss college sports and organize harassment campaigns in tandem.
Thompson began posting biographical details and photographs of a woman he claimed was Jane Doe. Tracey later published what he asserted was her real name on Substack, claiming to have obtained it from court records. In reality, the name came from a court-records aggregator website registered in mid-September that appears to selectively post information about polarizing cases. Tracey's Substack post ranked highly on the platform's political leaderboard—a possible indication that the controversy boosted his visibility.
Comments beneath Tracey's post devolved into sexualized speculation about the woman's appearance and whether her looks bore on her credibility as an accuser. Across X, hundreds of accounts—ranging from anonymous users to prominent right-wing figures—began scrutinizing her physical appearance, making lewd remarks about her, and fabricating AI-generated explicit images.
Why the Court Grants Anonymity#
Judges weigh multiple factors before permitting anonymous litigation, including whether a plaintiff's identity would expose them to physical or psychological harm. The law recognizes that survivors face routine scrutiny and that forcing them to use their real names would discourage many from reporting sexual violence at all. "In New York, there's no automatic right to proceed anonymously," noted Annie Seifullah, a founding partner at victims' rights firm Incendii Law, "but the law recognizes that survivors' lives are routinely put on trial."
