A number of conservative bloggers allege
they have been targeted through the use of harassment tactics such as
SWAT-ting (fooling 911 operators into sending emergency teams to their
homes), in retaliation for posts they have written, and now Sen. Saxby
Chambliss, R-Ga., has stepped into the matter. He has sent a letter to
Attorney General Eric Holder urging him to investigate the SWAT-ting
cases to see if federal laws have been violated.
“I am writing with concern regarding recent
reports that several members of the community of online political
commentators have been targeted with harassing and frightening actions.
Any potentially criminal action that incites fear, seeks to silence a
dissenting opinion, and collaterally wastes the resources of law
enforcement should be given close scrutiny at all levels,” Chambliss
wrote in the letter.
“Regardless of any potential political differences that may exist,
threats and intimidation have no place in our national political
discourse. Those who choose to enter into that political discourse
should not have to worry about potential threats to their or their
family’s safety,” Chambliss continued. “While I am certain that local
law enforcement is reviewing each of these instances, I am asking you to
please look into each of these cases as well to determine if any
federal laws may have been violated. Future targets of SWAT-ting,
whether engaged in political speech or not, may not be so fortunate as
to escape physical harm.”
ABC News spoke with two prominent
conservative bloggers who were victims of SWAT-ting, a hoax tactic used
by some hackers to infiltrate a victim’s phone system, often through
voice over IP (VOIP) technology to make calls appear as if they are
coming from a residence. The perpetrators call police to report a
violent crime at that home to which the police respond, sometimes with
SWAT teams.
Just after midnight on July 1, 2011,
Patrick Frey, a deputy District Attorney in Los Angeles and a
conservative blogger who writes under the name “Patterico,” heard a
pounding at his door as sheriff’s deputies arrived to investigate a call
from Frey’s home about a man who claimed he had killed his wife. But no
one in Frey’s home had been killed, and no one had made a phone call to
the police.
Read More at ABC News. By Arlette Saenz.
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