Over the next couple of days I’m going to be exploring the issue of Internet Vigilantes. I’m sure you’ve heard of them. They are posing as 13 year old girls, snagging older men who are interested in sexual relations They are taking extreme measure to stop the torrent of spam we all experience on a day to day basis. They are even using the Internet to go after people they deem bad drivers. The concept of Internet vigilantism is rapidly growing. Throngs of people are lining up to either join or create websites devoted to carrying out their own form of justice.
So, where do libertarians stand on the issue? How is this affecting how we deal with people in general? Are they performing a service the government cannot? Or, is it just plain harassment?
These are questions I’ll be dealing with over the next couple of weeks. If anyone has any ideas or thoughts of their own, please either email me or post them in the comments section.