Malicious tweet gives journalist Kurt Eichenwald a seizure
78 replies, posted
[quote]For the second time this year, someone has apparently used Twitter to attack journalist Kurt Eichenwald by exploiting his epilepsy. In October, he revealed in Newsweek that a Trump supporter had attempted to induce a seizure via Twitter with an epileptogenic cartoon. Fortunately for Eichenwald, he was able to drop his iPad face-down in time.
Yesterday, someone evidently tried again. According to a series of tweets from Eichenwald's account, they succeeded this time.
[...][/quote]
source: [url]http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2016/12/twitter-used-to-attack-journalist-kurt-eichenwald-triggering-seizure/[/url]
original seizure gif tweet removed
original accusation tweet
[media]https://twitter.com/kurteichenwald/status/809616876011749376[/media]
tweet thread RE litigation in source
[editline]16th December 2016[/editline]
i personally saw the seizure gif myself so i can confirm it did indeed exist
Why would you do this to someone.
I wouldn't wish seizures or epilepsy on anyone. Seeing it first hand is fucking scary, especially when it's a loved one.
Kurt Eichenwald comes off as insane and immature.
Like literally multiple rambling "FUCK YOU TRUMP" tweets [I]hourly[/I].
But don't force seizures on the guy.
That's pretty fucked if someone did that.
[QUOTE=usaokay;51540448]Doesn't excuse the fact that people would attempt to physically assault him.[/QUOTE]
Interesting how this would be construed legally? Cause surely it isn't physical assault.
Wow that's awful. Hopefully they catch who did it and they get some jail time.
[QUOTE=L'Citizen;51540441]That's pretty fucked if someone did that.[/QUOTE]
i saw the tweet he received, it was this gif
[highlight][URL="http://www.burned.org/gallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=1714&g2_serialNumber=4"]SEIZURE WARNING DO NOT CLICK IF YOU HAVE EPILEPSY[/URL][/highlight]
That's horrible to do to someone. I hope twitter fully cooperates with authorities to nab the kid.
[QUOTE=Aman;51540450]Interesting how this would be construed legally? Cause surely it isn't physical assault.[/QUOTE]
Knowingly splicing a peanut allergic person's drink with something you're aware can potentially cause his death would be an attempt at poisoning him. I don't see why taking advantage of other types of weaknesses should be any different.
[QUOTE=Dave_Parker;51540437]How anyone could think that this is an acceptable or funny thing to do is so far beyond me..[/QUOTE]
Reminds me of when the Epilepsy Foundation help forums got raided by 7chan and plastered with various seizure-inducing gifs eight years ago.
Just disgusting shit. Really hope something comes of this and this guy gets de-anonymized and hit with charges.
i dont see how its assault but you probably get em on another charge
Oh man, the contents of the thread are nowhere near as funny as the title made me think it was going to be
[QUOTE=Wii60;51540512]i dont see how its assault but you probably get em on another charge[/QUOTE]
It's intentionally causing physical harm to another person. Intent and result are the same, regardless of the type of tools used as means.
[QUOTE=Wii60;51540512]i dont see how its assault but you probably get em on another charge[/QUOTE]
No, it does fit with the common law definition of assault.
Maybe there can be a way to detect epilepsy-inducing files automatically through computer-vision algorithms? I mean shit like the culprit .gif here is just an image rapidly inverting its colors.
[QUOTE=Vlevs;51540525]It's intentionally causing physical harm to another person. Intent and result are the same, regardless of the type of tools used as means.[/QUOTE]
ah ok
i see assault as physical contact so thats why i was thinking that
Oh hey, what a surprise, an alt-right troll account with an anti-Semitic name. What a surprise.
People seem to be excusing this as 'just a GIF', but honestly, if they knew that he was epileptic and intentionally tried to set it off, they deserve to get in pretty major trouble. If he'd been home alone, that could have killed him.
[QUOTE=_Axel;51540528]Maybe there can be a way to detect epilepsy-inducing files automatically through computer-vision algorithms? I mean shit like the culprit .gif here is just an image rapidly inverting its colors.[/QUOTE]
Maybe a plug in that makes it so you have to click on a gig to play it?
[QUOTE=Wii60;51540529]ah ok
i see assault as physical contact so thats why i was thinking that[/QUOTE]
physical contact is battery.
hence assault & battery.
[QUOTE=OvB;51540586]Maybe a plug in that makes it so you have to click on a gig to play it?[/QUOTE]
Something like how Discord handles gifs, mousing over to play them, would work.
[QUOTE=_Axel;51540528]Maybe there can be a way to detect epilepsy-inducing files automatically through computer-vision algorithms? I mean shit like the culprit .gif here is just an image rapidly inverting its colors.[/QUOTE]
It's very possible. In fact there are tools that can be (and I think are) used to grade the seizure-causing potential of TV broadcasts.
The main issue is afaik the red/blue contrast, which iirc has the worst effects at around five repetitions a second. (This is also why the Porygon episode caused seizures. It had precisely those colours flashing at a very similar rate.)
[QUOTE=Ninja Gnome;51540465]i saw the tweet he received, it was this gif
[highlight][URL="http://www.burned.org/gallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=1714&g2_serialNumber=4"]SEIZURE WARNING DO NOT CLICK IF YOU HAVE EPILEPSY[/URL][/highlight][/QUOTE]
"YOU DESERVE A SESIURE FOR YOUR POSTS"
Wow, just wow. I can't even imagine being that low of a person.
I'm shocked Twitter doesn't have the option to require mousing over to start gifs.
It's all fun and memes until someone gets hurt. Whether or not the person is guilty should depend on proving their intent, which will probably be very easy in this case considering the circumstances...
I gotta wonder though, say you just post a flashing gif on someplace like facepunch, no "plz hav seizure" shit but without any warning, should people who know they have seizure issues be blocking gifs themselves or should the person who posts it be held responsible.
[QUOTE=Mattk50;51540806]It's all fun and memes until someone gets hurt. Whether or not the person is guilty should depend on proving their intent, which will probably be very easy in this case considering the circumstances...
I gotta wonder though, say you just post a flashing gif on someplace like facepunch, no "plz hav seizure" shit but without any warning, should people who know they have seizure issues be blocking gifs themselves or should the person who posts it be held responsible.[/QUOTE]
If it's unintentional, I don't see why anyone should be held responsible.
[QUOTE=Mattk50;51540806]It's all fun and memes until someone gets hurt. Whether or not the person is guilty should depend on proving their intent, which will probably be very easy in this case considering the circumstances...
I gotta wonder though, say you just post a flashing gif on someplace like facepunch, no "plz hav seizure" shit but without any warning, should people who know they have seizure issues be blocking gifs themselves or should the person who posts it be held responsible.[/QUOTE]
Generally it's somebody's own responsibility to manage their disabilities beyond reasonable accommodation. People with epilepsy should have a browser extension disabling gifs, for example.
[QUOTE=Dr. Evilcop;51540836]Generally it's somebody's own responsibility to manage their disabilities beyond reasonable accommodation. People with epilepsy should have a browser extension disabling gifs, for example.[/QUOTE]
I dunno about that. If they're on a website where you'd expect there to not have some asshole posting shit like that, then it's to no fault of your own. If someone knows someone else who has epilepsy is viewing LMAO Pics, who should be at fault? The epileptic person for looking at LMAO Pics, or the guy who made his account ten minutes ago who decided to post a GIF that flashes text while changing color five thousand times a second?
[QUOTE=_Axel;51540528]:snip:[/QUOTE]
That's overkill and likely a waste of resources; operating systems should just have the option to use a shader that blends frames over a period of time.
[QUOTE=Dr. Evilcop;51540836]Generally it's somebody's own responsibility to manage their disabilities beyond reasonable accommodation. People with epilepsy should have a browser extension disabling gifs, for example.[/QUOTE]
I think they should be able to use Twitter without having to worry about seizures. If he was looking at flashing videos or images then it would be more his own fault but someone sent him that gif knowing he was like that. It's really messed up.
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