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posted by cmn32480 on Sunday December 18 2016, @06:52PM   Printer-friendly
from the physical-assault-in-a-virtual-world dept.

Newsweek journalist Kurt Eichenwald, who is known to be suffering from epilepsy, reported on twitter that someone tweeted him a seizure-inducing image. This is not the first time it happened, but this attempt was (apparently) successful in triggering a seizure.

This might be the first physical attack on a person perpetrated via the internet. A sad point in history, in my view.

Links: coverage from Ars Technica, Eichenwald's Twitter feed. I'm not linking to the offending image - you're big enough to find it on your own and apparently it is quite horrible even for people who do not suffer from epilepsy.

Eichenwald has tweeted that he is involving law enforcement.

Any ideas on how hard it would be to filter out seizure-inducing media (make it click-to-view/play)?


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  • (Score: 5, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 18 2016, @07:41PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 18 2016, @07:41PM (#442774)

    > We must make the Internet a safe space for all. This process begins with banning all animated GIFs.

    No. None of that over-reaction is required. Instead charge the guy who sent it with assault or whatever the equivalent charge would be for deliberately shining a strobe-light in the face of someone you know has epilepsy in meatspace.

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  • (Score: 2, Troll) by BK on Sunday December 18 2016, @07:46PM

    by BK (4868) on Sunday December 18 2016, @07:46PM (#442779)

    That's a great idea. Let's start by arresting and charging everyone who has blinkin' lights on the their cars. They KNOW that someone with epilepsy might be around.

    --
    ...but you HAVE heard of me.
    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 18 2016, @08:02PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 18 2016, @08:02PM (#442788)

      > Let's start by arresting and charging everyone who has blinkin' lights on the their cars.

      Hhm. That's an idea. Which lights are you referring to?
      You do know that photosensitive epileptics are only sensitive to a specific frequency range of blinking, right? I don't think strobe lights are legal on non-emergency vehicles. But you seem to be the expert, so fill us in!

    • (Score: 1) by RS3 on Sunday December 18 2016, @08:40PM

      by RS3 (6367) on Sunday December 18 2016, @08:40PM (#442799)

      That's a great idea. Let's start by arresting and charging everyone who has blinkin' lights on the their cars. They KNOW that someone with epilepsy might be around.

      Every now and then someone crashes into police/emergency vehicles. I've wondered if, besides being completely blinded, maybe they seized from the blinking?

    • (Score: 2) by tangomargarine on Monday December 19 2016, @03:27PM

      by tangomargarine (667) on Monday December 19 2016, @03:27PM (#443152)

      everyone who has blinkin' lights on the their cars.

      Nicht mit der fingerpoken und der Blinkenlights! [wikipedia.org] :)

      --
      "Is that really true?" "I just spent the last hour telling you to think for yourself! Didn't you hear anything I said?"
  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 18 2016, @07:47PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 18 2016, @07:47PM (#442780)

    whatever the equivalent charge would be for deliberately shining a strobe-light in the face of someone you know has epilepsy in meatspace.

    epic lulz?