It is WRONG to recklessly post pictures of "suspected bombers"

[MrBig]

There are a few threads going on posting pictures of specific individuals who may or may not have played any role in the Marathon bombings. It is extremely irresponsible for people to be posting pictures of individuals on the Internet, especially in today's society when finding out someone's personal information is so easy.

There are nut jobs everywhere and the damage done to people whose information is recklessly posted in connection with these bombings will be irreversible.

So please show some discretion and common sense. If you think you've spotted something suspicious, send it to the appropriate authorities. Don't just post it online for Internet Vigilantes to do as they please. There are serious consequences to these actions.

[hedgehog]

1. Agreed - I alerted on one such posting, but it was allowed to stand.

[Agschmid]

2. I feel it's wrong...

but the internet is going to do what it wants to do.

[Marrah_G]

3. I also feel it's wrong

If the police want the public to help find someone- THEY will post the picture.

[Buzz Clik]

4. Of course it is.

It is equally wrong to cast broad nets at Saudis, Tea Partiers, and the like. There's no genius in speculating particularly when it is agenda driven.

[MrBig]

7. Exactly!!! n/t

[Agschmid]

11. +1 n/t

[hedgehog]

5. A few years back - we had a mantra here at DU - "Let it sink"

Don't reply on those threads, just let them sink.

[MrBig]

8. Good mantra - I will try my best to adopt it n/t

[Agschmid]

13. It's so tempting to call the person on their bull...

But I get it, it's a good mantra I'll trash the threads and move on.

[nolabear]

6. There's a reason why they call things "viral". They spread like mad without a lot of forebrain.

I heard something on CNN this morning about the pressure cooker used in the bombs. They were saying "This is exclusive to CNN" at the end, and I immediately though "Not any more, Buddy. By now thousands of people have carried your story onto the net in thousands of mutated forms according to their own additions and desires."

It's a mad, mad, mad, mad world. And fascinating.

[firehorse]

9. Mob rule creating guilt without a trial. Very undemocratic.

And besides that, why should any innocent person have to carry the burden of stigma. It's a life ruiner. Would anyone posting these pictures want their picture posted all over the internet. We have a place for trials.

[Shankapotomus]

10. Yes, they should have blurred out

the guy's face in that thread. He was ugly but that's not the point.

(Just kidding on that last part)

[Laelth]

12. Hear, hear! k&r n/t

-Laelth

[Atman]

14. A man is carrying a black backpack! OH NOES!!!

My wife has a blue bag for her ski boots...every time we go skiing, I see at least half a dozen other people with the identical bag. Backpacks are no different, especially when you're comparing a blown-up, shredded back to a guy in a crowd carrying a black backpack. It's stupid, and those posts should be removed.

[MrBig]

15. Agreed

What I found quite unbelievable were people trying to judge, based on those pictures, how heavy the backpack looked. It was ridiculous!

[MrBig]

16. I've alerted three posts

The first two were voted 1-5 to leave it alone. Still waiting on the last one. I don't care if it's the same result, they need to be alerted and they should be hidden based on the potential damage that they could do. It's ridiculous!

[Warpy]

17. Unless it's a picture of him carefully leaning that bag against the building

we can't assume anything about the guy. I'm sure the FBI is looking for him and they'll check him out.

Good luck to 'em. He looks like about a quarter of the guys in Boston.