Teenage Internet Trolling Arrest

A California 14 year old was recently arrested for Internet trolling. He was posting anonymous bomb threats and shootings about a high school on the popular Internet message board 4chan.org. Law enforcement found out later that the 14 year old had no intention or the ability to carry these threats out, so there was no criminal charge against the 14 year old.

When the parents find out about the arrest, the mom stated he was trolling and all the kids are doing it even though it is terrible. The 4chan.org is a popular place for Internet trolling especially among males. Most of the postings are anonymous since users are not required to register to post.

In this case, according to search warrant documents, the police made requests for IP addresses from 4chan.org.  The IP addresses are the numbers assigned to computers and other online devices that can be used to track Internet activity. The cable Internet provider Time Warner was contacted and gave police the subscriber’s name and address associated with the IP address.

A simple explanation for why trolls do what they do is given by Professor Mark Griffiths at England’s Nottingham Trent University. “Online people feel anonymous and dis-inhibited,” he says. “They lower their emotional guard and in the heat of the moment may troll either reactively or proactively." He adds that trolling is mostly carried out by young adult males for enjoyment, boredom and revenge.