To be fair, the problem is that these groups are going after people IRL, as per the article

all 27 comments

sorted by: hot top controversial new old

"We like a world without child abuse and pedophiles, and all that without compromising on (internet) freedom"

"How about no"

Not calling to violence but its frustration the first quote is never going to happen any soon.

  • source
  • [–] 19 points 1 year ago

    So does this mean FBI is playing Roblox for their job? Like as in my taxes are paying for their in-game currency and all that?

  • source
  • [–] 14 points 1 year ago

    I'm just going to say it. Banning predator hunters instead of the pedophiles is really fucking suspicious. They seem suddenly really eager about protecting the privacy of their users when the victim is a predator. They suffer rampant pedophilia, so banning one person backed by a couple three letter agencies is a poor play. Also I guess they want to add dating which is pretty odd

    https://www.dexerto.com/roblox/roblox-ceo-wants-adults-to-use-platform-as-a-dating-service-3226769/

  • source
  • [–] 14 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    To be fair? Yes, let's be fair and let the article spout... whatever, I didn't pay for it.

    A child playing a game is still experiencing the real world. There are important distinctions between games and reality, but this has to do with the platform. I don't know how far these vigilantes "go after" their suspects or how they verify their information points to the correct individual, so I cannot defend them; but to say that real people interacting through a game is somehow lesser than being in person diminishes the problem. It's the same problem Yahoo chat rooms dealt with in 2005. For the platform, or the FBI, or any other government agency to focus on the vigilantes instead of the paedophiles speaks volumes on its own.

  • source
  • hideshow 1 child comment
  • [–] 10 points 1 year ago

    the fact that disturbs me is roblox ignored these issues for so long that a movement had to form to stop the predators, instead of roblox doing their fucking jobs and creating a safe platform for kids to enjoy.

    coupled with the child labor bullshit, and their blatant copying of other IP (see peak telling users to pirate the game instead of playing the shitty roblox clone)..... they're an awful company

  • source
  • parent
  • [–] 13 points 1 year ago*

    What you mean to say is that the feds are scrambling to keep that honeypot alive & secret like it was a Catholic priest. Oh, wait... 😶

  • source
  • [–] 20 points 1 year ago (3 children)

    I'm actually fine with this type of vigilantism

  • source
  • hideshow 3 child comments
  • [–] 3 points 1 year ago

    A bunch of people see that their government is full of pedophiles and predators but are untouchable so they decide to attack people they think they can get their hands on to feel like they have power and think any mistakes and murders they commit wrongly are justified if they even get one pedophileis not a type of vigilantism i am fine with.

  • source
  • parent
  • [–] 8 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    For really real. People always whine about "well what if the person they catch isn't actually a predator" but dawg, come the fuck on.

    If I invite a grown as person to meet me somewhere under the pretense that I am a child, and they show up to that meeting believing they are there to meet a child? Oh naw, I don't give half a cold, rusty fuck what excuses they have for why they came over, I'm putting the paws on em. I'mma stomp a mud hole in em and walk it dry with all 6'1", 300 pounds of my fi-fy-fo-fum lookin ass.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 1 child comment
  • [–] 8 points 1 year ago

    https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2013/oct/29/vigilante-murder-paedophile-bristol-bijan-ebrahimi

    He was quizzed at a police station but officers soon realised he was blameless and released him. By then rumours had begun circulating in the Brislington area that he was a child abuser and two days later he was murdered.

    A neighbour, Lee James, 24, beat Ebrahim unconscious and then with the help of his friend Stephen Norley, also 24, dragged him into the street. He was doused with white spirits and set on fire.

    https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-06-17/albert-thorn-guilty-of-bradley-lyons-murder-lakes-entrance/102426248

    The attack on Mr Lyons stemmed from Stefani's belief that his landlord was sexually abusing children. 

    No evidence was ever provided to corroborate his opinion, and prosecutors in court labelled them "flimsy claims".

    On the afternoon Mr Lyons was attacked, the gang of four balaclava-clad men led by Thorn armed themselves with a metal pole and a sawn-off shotgun, and took turns beating him.

    The court heard Stefani organised the attack with Thorn, and put out a cigarette in Mr Lyons' eye.  Thorn then backed his mother's Toyota Corolla up to the front door of the house, and Mr Lyons was bound, thrown into the boot and taken to Thorn's mother's property.

    And Trump is just doing what he has to, to make the world great again right? Every bad action is easily excused cause sometimes you have to beat people, torture them and burn them to find out you made a whoopsie. So what. Just another person. But think of how badass it would be to be so powerful to kill another person because you feel better about it.
    Really great logic.

  • source
  • parent
  • [+] -6 points 1 year ago (15 children)
  • [–] 6 points 1 year ago

    People have been hunting paedos for as long as I could remember.

    People are just more aware of paedos now.

    I don't think serial murderers are as prevalent as paedophiles. The only person I have a connection to who was a victim of a serial murderer, that serial murderer was a paedophile (Robert Black) and murdered to cover up his vile actions.

    But there are far worse humans our there than kid fuckers.

    Like what exactly? I can only think of serial murderers who murder kids. If there are worse people, they aren't far worse than the paedophiles.

  • source
  • parent
  • [+] 0 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (13 children)
  • [–] 5 points 1 year ago (12 children)

    What the actual fuck?!??

    Why are people like you defending PEDOPHILES?

    WHAT THE FUCK?

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 12 child comments
  • [–] 3 points 1 year ago (8 children)

    No, people like him are against vigilantism.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 8 child comments
  • [–] 3 points 1 year ago (4 children)

    Ah yes, because that's what's wrong with the world today. Too many vigilantes.

    Not too many pedophiles, like Donald Trump.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 4 child comments
  • [–] 3 points 1 year ago (3 children)

    I guess some people think it's one of the things that's wrong with the world today. It's not like there can only be one thing wrong with the world at a time.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 3 child comments
  • [–] 2 points 1 year ago (2 children)

    Let's agree now and here that pedophilia needs to be eradicated, though.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
  • [–] 1 point 1 year ago* (2 children)

    Vigilantism if done rationally and fairly is pretty based. Although I don't like some paedo hunters. Some of them pretend to be a child and start seducing young men with learning disabilities. I don't think this is morally right or ethical, as they aren't necessarily paedophiles/predators. Just desperate people with terrible judgement.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
  • [–] 1 point 1 year ago (1 child)

    100% agree. It's hard to be against someone pretty much doing what the police does if it's done responsibly and ethically. From what I saw the youtube vigilantes are neither. It's just a cheap show done for views. I wouldn't trust them reporting a parking violation let alone serious crime.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 1 child comment
  • load more comments (-1 replies)
    16 comments in c/pcgaming@lemmy.ca view that post
    [–] 69 points 1 year ago (3 children)

    So... to fight against predators you... partner with the FBI to... stop people who make groups to... prevent predatory behaviour?

  • source
  • hideshow 3 child comments
  • [–] 28 points 1 year ago (9 children)

    The entire headline is so wild. I don't know what to think.

  • source
  • hideshow 9 child comments
  • [–] 24 points 1 year ago (8 children)

    People were pushing back on predators on their own, so the FBI was brought in to stop people from pushing back on predators.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 8 child comments
  • [–] -5 points 1 year ago (7 children)

    Vigilantes are not the solution.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 7 child comments
  • [–] 5 points 1 year ago* (1 child)

    If their actions result in the company and law enforcement actually doing something about the predators, then the vigilantes were part of the solution.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 1 child comment
  • [–] -1 points 1 year ago*

    I mean the actions of predators also eventually resulted in the company and law enforcement actually doing something about the predators.

    Being a part of the problem isn't a solution.

    If you look into how these guys operate, it's not something you would support. For example they often conduct "undercover" stings where they pretend to be a child and exchange sexual message with other users in hopes of finding a predator.

    In reality it's some guys sexting random Roblox users (who are, statistically, primarily children). It looks exactly like a predator's behavior, even if you believe their good intentions.

    Law enforcement has procedures, some form of oversight of their operations and their interactions are documented.

  • source
  • parent
  • [–] 2 points 1 year ago (3 children)

    They aren't, but that they had to form up at all within roblox shows that the company heads don't give a single flying fuck to their game being a predator haven.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 3 child comments
  • [–] 4 points 1 year ago (2 children)

    These vigilante groups already existed, there's an entire genre of "pedophile hunter" content creators that lure people (including children who were pretending to be adults) into traps, often in person, and film them being harassed/assaulted.

    Not surprisingly, they use tactics that are illegal for law enforcement, like entrapment and fabricating data, and have very flimsy standards of guilt (which become even more flimsy if they need more content).

    These guys are not heroes, go watch their videos. They're people who want to illegally stalk, harass and assault people and use "protecting children" as cover.

    You're buying into their cover without critically examining their tactics, methods and results.

    It sounds real good right up until it is your 18 year old son or nephew is lured by grown men into a fake date, assaulted on camera and blasted all over YouTube or social media as a pedophile.

    These people are scumbags.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
  • [–] 3 points 1 year ago* (1 child)

    I had to read the article, since it initially sounded like the groups were doing the vigilantism only within the game. Once things go into real life, it's a different matter and I fully agree with you there, especially if the groups are looking for views on youtube and social media

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 1 child comment
  • [–] 4 points 1 year ago*

    I thought it was a good idea too, I even watched the content for a bit.

    It's entertaining in a weird way, but watching some guy getting beat up and then seeing the, heavily edited, "evidence" being presented really turned me off. There was a controversy, the 18 year old guy showing up for a date with a "17 year old" and being assaulted was a real incident, and so the police were involved. Their investigation found all kinds of shady things: credit card fraud, CSAM, chat logs including sexual chats with minors etc.

    It all sounds good in theory, but the kind of people who would choose to do this are not the kind of people who you would trust to do it effectively. It's more like that they want to prey on people too and that's a lot easier to do (i. e. Generate funding) if you're pretending to do something noble.

  • source
  • parent
  • load more comments (1 reply)
  • [–] 22 points 1 year ago

    If people can protect the children on their own, the whole security theater house of cards collapsed.

    Can't let people shine a light and see that the Boogeyman is just a weirdly draped robe on the door.

  • source
  • [–] 6 points 1 year ago

    Similar to viral pedophile hunting groups, players are attempting to track down and apprehend predators themselves.

    Oh, that is a different matter, the vigilantism might be happening IRL

  • source