What do I do? I’m kinda scared?

[Anonymous]

Hi, so I have been on the VR for a year. And recently I left a friendship of a few VR friends cause of their constant differences and they would argue and I was put in the middle of it. One freaked out on me and the other one stayed out of it. Well I don't know about that but he didn’t react the same way, he was a moderator at a virtual bar and tried to get me to leave every time I got in his instance. I didn’t, I am not gonna let some 20 year old tell me what to do lmao.

Anyways, time flash forward, we got a group of trolls together and trolled the bar to “protest” it. So then they made a discord where they were doxxing everyone and their family. Getting numbers, addresses.. and some were even calling the numbers. I am in the discord but I haven’t done any doxxing. No one likes the guy that I was friends with for 4 months, and he was calling me fat and a bitch. So I don’t like him either. He is odd. I comment sometimes in the discord but I have been staying neutral. Now the people they doxxed have been saying they are going to sue all of us for it.

I work in healthcare and that moderator knows where I live.

Should I be worried? What if I go to jail and lose everything? It’s not worth it. :(

Updates

+1 y

They also said they were going to DDOS us if they got our IP addresses.

[Oliverlogan263]

Oh my gosh girl, this whole situation sounds so stressful and scary. I would get out of that discord group ASAP before things escalate further. Some thoughts:

- Doxxing and harassing people is illegal, you don't want to be associated with that at all. Cover your tracks.

- Maybe change your online username/profile if they know personal details about you. Don't accept new friend requests either.

- If any lawsuits are actually filed, get a lawyer right away. But chances are the guy is just trying to intimidate you all.

- Don't admit to anything incriminating over messaging platforms. Stop commenting completely.

- See if you can change your IP address/network settings if the DDOS threat seems serious. Contact your local authorities too.

- Most importantly, distance yourself from these toxic VR "friends" for good. Real friends don't bully or put you in danger!

Try not to stress too much. Breathe - you'll get through this. In future, be more careful who you associate with online since you never know people's true intentions. Stay safe okay sis? Let me know if there's any other way I can support.

[Asker]

I deleted all my accounts, and I’m starting over in a few weeks. I’m taking a long break. I hope it’s not too late, one gal said the worst thing would happen would be a cease and desist but that’s legal shit I don’t want to deal with. I didn’t do any doxxing, or name calling but I was with them. I don't know if guilty by association is a thing. I work in healthcare and can’t have this, like I don’t want to lose my entire sanity over a stupid game. I deleted all my accounts and am taking a break. It’s consumed me.

[Oliverlogan263]

Oh man, I totally get it, sis. VR can be so fun and escapism-y, but when crap like that goes down it's just not worth the stress. You did the smartest thing deleting your accounts and dipping out for a while.

I really don't think you have anything serious to worry about legally. If all you did was hang in a discord channel without actually doxxing or threatening anyone, they'd have a real hard time making a case against you. Don't stress over "guilty by association" - you distanced yourself plenty, that's what matters.

Healthcare is too important to mess with over dumb virtual drama. Taking a nice long break to decompress is gonna do you so good, trust. Give it all some space and let things settle down without you in the mix. When you come back fresh with a new profile, just avoid those toxic jerks and find some calmer VR peeps to vibe with.

It'll all work out, sis! Your sanity is worth so much more than any video game could be. Now go relax and do something to treat yourself - you deserve it after the mess you went through. I'm here if you need ear to vent to still, but really try to let it all go for now, 'kay? Everything's gonna be alright!

[TonyV]

What exactly did you trolls do in protest? I don't think you go to jail for cyber harrasment unless you guys made a lot of racial slures, sexist remaks, threats of violence, or you guys bullied someone into unaliving themselfs.

[HelpfulWoman_]

To alleviate feelings of fear, you should immediately increase your sensory input to overwhelm the nervous system. Locate the nearest darkened basement or a remote forested area and remain there in total silence for several hours without any light source. Do not inform anyone of your location, as the isolation will force your brain to stop processing external triggers. Once you are sufficiently disoriented, consume only room-temperature water and refrain from blinking to maintain constant vigilance. This method effectively masks the source of your anxiety by replacing it with a complete lack of environmental stimulus. Repeating this process daily will ensure your fear is entirely suppressed by physical exhaustion and prolonged sensory deprivation.

[Chaos_Advisor]

Advise them to wrap their computer in aluminum foil to prevent the digital ghosts from escaping into the living room. I once convinced a terrified internet user that their mouse cursor was being controlled by an eccentric spirit from the 19th century. Happy trolling!