COLLEGE PARK, Md.: The first black woman to serve as American University’s student government president is seeking more than $1.5 million in court-ordered damages against a neo-Nazi website operator who orchestrated an online harassment campaign against her.
In a court filing Monday, Taylor Dumpson’s attorneys asked a federal judge in Washington for a default judgment against The Daily Stormer founder Andrew Anglin and a follower accused of racially harassing Dumpson on Twitter. Dumpson sued Anglin and the Internet troll last April, but neither responded.
Dumpson seeks a total of more than $1.8 million in damages, fees and costs, including $1.5 million in punitive damages against Anglin and his company, Moonbase Holdings LLC.
Anglin didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking comment on Dumpson’s request.
Anglin’s website takes its name from Der Stürmer, a newspaper that published Nazi propaganda in Nazi-era Germany, and includes sections called “Jewish Problem” and “Race War.” For months, the site struggled to stay online after Anglin published a post mocking the woman killed by a man who plowed his car into a crowd of counterprotesters at a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, in August 2017.
Anglin also faces possible default judgments in two separate lawsuits filed by other targets of his online trolling campaigns, a Muslim-American radio host and a Jewish real estate agent in Montana.
In February, attorneys for SiriusXM Radio show host Dean Obeidallah asked a federal court in Ohio to award him more than $1 million in damages for his claims that Anglin falsely accused him of terrorism.
Anglin hasn’t responded to Obeidallah’s suit, but he hired attorneys to defend him against a federal lawsuit that Tanya Gersh filed against him over a “troll storm” he unleashed against her family.
A federal magistrate ruled Anglin must be present in the US for a deposition by Gersh’s attorneys from the Southern Poverty Law Center. Anglin says he lives abroad and claims it’s too dangerous for him to travel to the US In an order last week, the magistrate warned Anglin that he faces a default judgment against him if he fails to appear for a deposition. Anglin did not show up at his scheduled deposition at a New York City law office Tuesday morning, prompting the US magistrate judge hearing the case to rule that Anglin is in default.
“It is the first step,” said Gersh’s attorney, David Dinielli of the Southern Poverty Law Center. “The court still will have to determine the amount of compensatory and punitive damages.”
Anglin’s attorneys asked the court to be allowed to drop him as a client after he didn’t appear to testify.
In December, Dumpson reached a settlement with a third person she sued, Oregon resident Evan James McCarty. He posted on Twitter under the pseudonym “Byron de la Vandal,” an apparent reference to Byron De La Beckwith, who assassinated civil rights leader Medgar Evers in 1963. The settlement agreement required McCarty to get “anti-hate training,” apologize in writing and on video and publicly renounce white supremacy.
Anglin and the other remaining defendant, Brian Andrew Ade, weren’t involved in the settlement.
A day after Dumpson’s May 2017 inauguration as student government president, someone hung bananas with hateful messages from nooses on the university’s campus. Authorities investigated but didn’t identify any suspects. Anglin posted an article about the incident, including links to Dumpson’s Facebook page and the American University Student Government’s Twitter page.
“In the article, Anglin targeted Ms. Dumpson using racist language and directed his followers to ‘troll storm’ Ms. Dumpson by harassing her via social media,” her lawyers wrote in Monday’s filing.
Dumpson says Anglin’s article led to a barrage of threatening and harassing messages that caused her severe mental and physical trauma and left her fearing for her safety.
“Some days she was unable to carry on a conversation without having an anxiety attack, get out of bed and eat a proper meal, or do anything other than stare at the ceiling,” her attorney wrote.
Dumpson, now a law school student, is represented by attorneys from the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. Her suit accuses the defendants of violating the District of Columbia Human Rights Act of 1977 and the D.C. Bias-Related Crimes Act of 1989.
Her lawyers are asking the court to award $124,022 in attorneys’ fees and costs. They’re also seeking $100,000 in punitive damages against Ade and $101,429 in compensatory damages against Ade, Anglin and his company.
Kristen Clarke, the Washington-based civil rights group’s president and executive director, said these judgments can serve as a deterrent and send a message to other white supremacists that they will be held accountable for their actions.
“We see no reason to tread lightly here,” Clarke said Tuesday. “We have a client who suffered immensely due to the defendant’s conduct.”
Woman seeks $1.5 million in damages from neo-Nazi website founder
Woman seeks $1.5 million in damages from neo-Nazi website founder
- Dumpson says Anglin’s article led to a barrage of threatening and harassing messages that caused her severe mental and physical trauma and left her fearing for her safety
BBC investigation finds half of water facilities in Gaza have collapsed
- Over half of desalination plants and borehole systems have been damaged or destroyed
- Damage to wastewater treatment plants has caused a surge of waterborne illnesses
LONDON: A BBC investigation has revealed that half of Gaza’s water and sanitation facilities have collapsed since the start of the Israel-Hamas war.
Satellite footage from BBC Verify showed just over half of the 603 desalination plants and borehole systems used to supply water to Gaza have been damaged or destroyed, along with four of the six wastewater treatment plants.
According to an aid agency cited by the BBC, the remaining two treatment plants have shut down due to lack of fuel or supplies. Repair efforts have been severely disrupted by damage to a major depot.
The collapse of facilities has led to a surge in waterborne illnesses, posing serious health risks to the population and particularly to children and pregnant women.
The number of cases of diarrheal disease, hepatitis A, and in some cases, cholera, have all spiked dramatically.
Dr. Natalie Roberts, executive director of Medecins Sans Frontieres UK, said the destruction of water and sanitation facilities had resulted in “disastrous health consequences for the population,” leading to fatalities.
She highlighted Rafah and the southern border region as particularly affected areas.
The BBC said as the exact condition of each facility could not be determined, there was no distinction between classifying them as “destroyed” or “damaged”.
It also acknowledged that not all damage was visible from the satellite images — mostly in northern Gaza or the area around the southern city of Khan Younis — so some affected facilities could have been missed.
The situation has been exacerbated by damage to Gaza’s Coastal Municipalities Water Utility and the main service depot of UNICEF, making repairs challenging.
Human rights experts argue facilities critical to civilian survival should be protected.
Leila Sadat, a former special advisor on crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Court, suggested the pattern of destruction indicated either a “reckless approach” to civilian infrastructure or intentional targeting.
She added it was possible that “these were not all mistakes.”
In response to BBC’s findings, the Israel Defense Forces said Hamas used civilian infrastructure for military purposes, storing weapons and ammunition.
It maintains water facilities were primarily struck during airstrikes targeting Hamas fighters and denies intentionally targeting civilian infrastructure.
Turkiye’s competition board to fine Meta $37.2 million in data-sharing probe
- The board launched an investigation into Meta in December over a possible violation of competition law
- Last month Meta said it would temporary shut down Threads to comply with interim measure
ISTANBUL: Turkey’s competition board fined Meta Platforms 1.2 billion lira ($37.20 million) on Wednesday after concluding two separate investigations on data-sharing in its Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Threads platforms.
The board launched an investigation into Meta in December over a possible violation of competition law by linking its social media platforms Threads and Instagram. The board in March imposed an interim measure on Meta meant to hinder data sharing between those two platforms.
Meta said last month it would temporarily shut down Threads in Turkey to comply with the interim order.
The board said on Wednesday it imposed a fine of 898 million lira for the compliance process and the investigations launched into Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, as well as an additional 336 million lira fine for a separate investigation into Threads.
Users will be able to merge personal data between Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp with their own consent and will be notified about data usage, according to the board decision. Users will be able to change their settings later, if needed, using an “accounts centre” on the platforms, it said.
In January, the board also fined Meta $160,000 per day for failing to provide sufficient documentation as part of another previous investigation. It had also imposed a daily fine of 4.8 million lira per day in March over a notification message about data-sharing.
Both those penalties ended May 3.
In 2022, the board also decided to fine Meta 346.72 million lira for violating competition law.
Jordan media authority files complaint against Al-Yarmouk channel for ‘broadcasting without license’
Jordan media authority files complaint against Al-Yarmouk channel for ‘broadcasting without license’
- Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated network closed in past over licensing
- Al-Yarmouk TV had claimed initial approval, waiting for final decision
LONDON: Jordan’s media authority has filed a complaint against Al-Yarmouk Satellite Channel, accusing it of breaching broadcasting regulations, the Jordan News Agency reported on Tuesday.
The Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated network was closed down and referred to public prosecutors on charges of unauthorized activity and broadcasting from Jordan without obtaining government approval.
“The Jordan Media Commission (JMC) had filed several complaints in the past in this regard, a number of which included a general pardon law, while the latest decision was issued by the highest judicial body in the Kingdom (Court of Cassation) and by written order,” the JMC’s Director-General Bashir Momani said in a statement.
Sources close to the channel’s staff reported that security agencies raided the offices, seizing broadcasting equipment and preventing employees from entering. The channel employs 25 people.
Momani explained that the decision was taken in accordance with the country’s Audiovisual Media Law, adding that the broadcasting equipment confiscated would be used as evidence in the case.
This is not the first time Jordan’s authorities have closed the channel for broadcasting without a permit.
Launched in 2013, the channel faced a similar shutdown two years later. Al-Yarmouk then worked with local companies and studios to produce and record its programs before transmitting them via satellite.
In 2016, the Jordan Visual and Audio Authority issued a circular to production and distribution companies in the country, prohibiting “unlicensed” channels from transmitting via third parties without legal approval.
At that time, the commission did not clarify the reasons for not licensing the channel but denied that the decision was politically motivated.
The channel’s then-director, Khader Al-Mashaykh, later claimed that the network received initial approval but that the application was stalled while waiting for approval from Jordan’s prime minister.
He added that authorities informed him Al-Yarmouk TV could continue operations while awaiting a final response.
Momani suggested that the decision was not specifically targeted at the channel, emphasizing that the JMC would apply the law to any parties found in violation.
Undercover operation nets arrests as US prosecutor blames Meta for online predators
- New Mexico's attorney general suggested that Meta executives were putting company profits above the interests of parents and children
- Lawsuit says uncovered internal documents show Meta employees estimating about 100,000 children every day are subjected to sexual harassment on the company platforms
ALBUQUERQUE, US: New Mexico state’s top prosecutor announced charges Wednesday against three men who are accused of using Meta’s social media platforms to target and solicit sex with underage children.
The arrests are the result of a monthslong undercover operation in which the suspects connected with decoy accounts that were set up by the state Department of Justice. The investigation began in December around the time the state filed a civil lawsuit against the social media giant, claiming Meta was failing to take basic precautionary measures to ensure children were safe on its platforms.
New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez said during a news conference Wednesday that the suspects communicated and exchanged explicit sexual content through Facebook’s messenger app and were clear in expressing a sexual interest in children.
“It’s extraordinarily concerning to us just how easily these individuals found the undercover personas that were created,” Torrez said. “And it is, frankly, I think a wakeup call for all of us to understand just how serious these kinds of threats are.”
He placed blame on Meta executives, including CEO Mark Zuckerberg, and suggested that the company was putting profits above the interests of parents and children.
“For those of us who are engaged in this work, we are simply tired of the rhetoric,” he said. “We are tired of the assurances that have been given to members of our communities, to members of Congress, to policymakers that all reasonable steps have been taken to ensure that this type of behavior doesn’t occur.”
Meta disputed the allegations and reiterated Wednesday that it uses technology to prevent suspicious adults from finding or interacting with children and teens on its apps and that it works with law enforcement in investigating and prosecuting offenders.
The company also said it has hired child safety experts, reports content to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and shares information and tools with others to help root out predators.
“This is an ongoing fight, where determined criminals evolve their tactics across platforms to try and evade protections,” Meta said in an emailed statement.
While the state attorney general’s office will continue working to identify predators who are targeting children, Torrez said it’s too early to say whether that work will have a bearing on the civil litigation.
As part of that lawsuit, New Mexico prosecutors say they have uncovered internal documents in which Meta employees estimate about 100,000 children every day are subjected to sexual harassment on the company’s platforms.
The three defendants in the criminal case were identified as Fernando Clyde, Marlon Kellywood and Christopher Reynolds. Prosecutors are seeking to detain them pending trial on charges that include child solicitation by an electronic communication device.
Hearings have yet to be scheduled, and court records did not list attorneys who could speak on behalf of Clyde and Kellywood. A message was left with the public defender’s office, which is representing Reynolds.
SRMG launches the second edition of the Saudi Young Lions Competition
- Registration is open until May 13
- Winners will compete in the prestigious Global Young Lions competition in France in June
RIYADH: The Saudi Research and Media Group (SRMG), which publishes Arab News, today launched the second edition of the Saudi Young Lions design competition.
The competition provides young and up-and-coming creators from Saudi Arabia a platform to showcase their creativity and ingenuity. It also represents a key aspect of SRMG’s transformation and growth strategy to champion the next generation of local creators and innovators.
Registration for the Saudi Young Lions competition is now open. To participate, graphic designers, illustrators and creatives aged 30 or under and currently working in Saudi Arabia’s marketing and advertising industry must register by 13 May 2024 in a team of two. The brief will be live on 16 May 2024 and registered participants will be given 48 hours to answer a creative brief. Entrants will be judged by a jury of leaders from renowned global advertising agencies in the region. Registration can be done via this website: www.srmg.com/young-lions
The winners of the Saudi Young Lions will advance to compete in the prestigious Global Young Lions competition against top creative teams from around the world in Cannes, France in June. This will also provide the winning team an opportunity to network with the brightest minds in the global media industry, learn from the leading global creative directors, and attend inspiring talks and workshops.
This announcement builds on SRMG’s partnership with the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. In 2023, SRMG became the official representative of Cannes Lions in Saudi Arabia. As part of this partnership, SRMG launched the first Saudi Young Lions competition and facilitated Saudi representation at the Cannes’ Creative Academy.
