Gawker: valleywag, jason fortuny

Why Jason Fortuny thinks it's OK to expose Craigslist sex-seekers, the 100-word version

Nicholas Carlson — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 15:20:00 EDT

In 2006, Jason Fortuny — one of the so-called "Internet trolls" featured recently in the New York Times Magazine — placed an ad on Craigslist in which he pretended to be a woman seeking sex. Later, he posted photos and emails sent to him by the ad's respondents. Now, one of them — image and response pictured above — is suing him for $75,000. This John Doe claims Fortuny's post caused him to "suffer and continue to suffer from humiliation, embarrassment, lost opportunity of keeping his family together, and emotional distress." The plaintiff claims Fortuny violated his copyright, wrongfully disclosed private facts and intruded upon his seclusion. By way of response, Forturny wrote an eight-page letter to the judge in his own defense . It's much to long for even the most concerned citizen to read, but since its contents so seriously affect the legal system of our nation-state, we've shortened it down to the crucial bits, below.

Dear Judge Gottschall,

Plaintiff has a copyright on a digital photo he sent to me. The use of this photo falls under fair use. The version of Plaintiff’s photo on my website is an 80 percent reduction from Plaintiff’s original photo. Plaintiff’s digital photo is not a product one would generally offer for sale, or expect to be purchased. Plaintiff asserts that publishing his email constitutes the public disclosure of private facts. There are no personally identifiable facts or information in his communication. Plaintiff does not use his actual name, or provide any contact. Plaintiff’s statements in his email to me cannot be traced back to an actual individual by the public. On Craigslist, Plaintiff and I were required to accept the terms of use which state in section 3, “that by using the Service, you may be exposed to Content that is offensive, indecent, inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise objectionable.”

I didn’t believe anyone would fall for such an obviously fake ad. When I received those 175 responses to my Craigslist ad, I was blown away. I showed responses to friends. When I suggested posting the responses, none of us saw any issue in doing so.That there was so much coverage truly confused me. There was no malicious intent in my actions. It was curiosity. This is a case of a person trying to get his pound of flesh out of me for my perceived wrongs. I am frequently rude, unsympathetic, unempathetic, and politically incorrect, but there’s no law against that.

Journalists do it for the lulz

Owen Thomas — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 18:00:00 EDT

The trolls will always be with us, because the Internet is full of insane sociopaths. Charming sociopaths, clever sociopaths, perhaps even magazine-profile-worthy sociopaths — but sociopaths all the same. Wired profiled a videogame-heavy set of Internet trolls in January. The New York Times Magazine hunted and nabbed bigger game this weekend — Jason Fortuny and the troll known as "Weev," who was photographed for the story (above). This photo in particular may draw fascinated stares.

At one point, Weev says that he's the hacker known as Memphis Two. "Weev says he has access to hundreds of thousands of Social Security numbers," Matt Schwartz writes in the Times piece. "About a month later, he sent me mine." Now Schwartz knows how Six Apart cofounders Ben and Mena Trott feel.

Their Social Security numbers, as well as those of other Six Apart executives and investors, were leaked on the Internet last year. At the time, a tipster told us he believed that Memphis Two, working in conjunction with a Six Apart employee, was responsible. While working on an unrelated story, I received a call from someone who identified themselves as Weev; the caller ID indicated the call came from Technorati, a startup located one block from Six Apart's headquarters. How can such a small world contain such a large hate?

(Photo by Robbie Cooper/New York Times)

Well that was inevitable: Sordid details of Craigslist privacy violator's life revealed

Nick Douglas — Wed, 13 Sep 2006 14:32:29 EDT

The man who posed as a woman on Craigslist and last week published the 178 replies (including photos and personal info of the respondents) was sexually molested as a child, broke up with his fiancee eight weeks ago, and wrote that he told a woman that he "posted pictures of her fugly kids on a child rape community."

That's what blogger Lou Cabron learned from the blog of Jason Fortuny, a Seattle web developer who infamously violated the privacy of almost 200 Craigslist users in an act that got Associated Press coverage. Meanwhile, blogger (and Upcoming.org founder) Andy Baio is tracking media attention and posting updates on Fortuny on Baio's original post.

Friends of Fortuny say he's an open guy, able to take a hit of scrutiny like this. (Of course, that won't help him if a victim sues for public disclosure of private facts.) But Baio notices that Fortuny whipped his professional info off of his site after this story blew up. Can you blame a guy for wanting a little privacy?

The Secret Life of Jason Fortuny [10 Zen Monkeys]
Sex Baiting Prank on Craigslist Affects Hundreds [Waxy.org, scroll for updates]
Earlier: People abusing the Internet [Valleywag]