14 DAY TRIAL // The Halifax branch of Anonymous released a YouTube video in which they reveal the real identity of a teenager accused of rape. The group accepted to go with this vigilante route after Halifax police "mishandled" the case. YouTube's staff later removed the video.
The core issue around this incident is a rape case that the Halifax, Canada police department had investigated during the past weeks. The case revolves around an 18-year-old girl who was sexually assaulted by another student at Dalhousie University frat house.
Police closed the investigation, citing that the victim did not want to proceed with the case. The victim's mother claims the authorities mishandled the case and contacted Anonymous hackers to seek justice for her daughter.
The group's hacktivists responded by releasing a video, which immediately went viral. The video, besides revealing the attacker's real name, also shared his father's personal details. The hackers did not provide any proof of the attacker's guilt. The video was also uploaded countless times on the group's Facebook page after Facebook staff kept taking it down.
Canadian police reopened the case
In an interview given to HackRead, one of the Anonymous Halifax's members says that the group will resort to cyber-attacks if police don't properly follow through with their investigation. The group gave Halifax police until Monday, November 16, to follow through.
The subsequent public outcry and numerous media inquiries forced police to reopen the case in the past days. According to Canadian e-newspaper Global News, the victim also had a change of heart and decided to cooperate with police.
“When it comes to sexual assault we completely respect the wishes of the victim. If they do not want to proceed, we do not force them,” said Halifax Regional Police spokesperson Lauren Leal. “Investigators decided after some time had passed, she had time to reflect and that she may have changed her mind and wanted to proceed with an investigation and that is what has happened in this case,” Leal also added.