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Anonymous outs bully in Amanda Todd case

Anonymous New Jersey gets involved, names Amanda Todd's alleged blackmailer
46269mapleridgeScreenShot2012-10-16at12.26.55PM
A screen grab from a video posted by Anonymous.

An online activist collective that has hacked into government websites claims to have tracked down the man who blackmailed a teenager who took her own life last week.

Anonymous published a name, address and email of a New Westminster man on Pastebin.com, a website often used by programmers to store pieces of code.

The information soon began circulating on social media through Facebook and Twitter.

“We decided to go after the people who blackmailed her because it was the right thing to do,” said Anonymous New Jersey in a message to The News.

The News is not releasing the man’s name until charges related to the Todd case are laid against him.

The information released online also links the man to video chat sites frequented by underage girls.

“Child pornography is literally all over the Internet and even on Google images. It’s ridiculous that we let this happen,” said Anonymous, adding that the group received one tip and tracked down via his online nickname.

The ‘hacktivists’ also released an ominous video on Monday in which a person in a Guy Fawkes mask, with voice garbled, threatens those who bullied 15-year-old Amanda Todd.

The video has since been removed because it violates YouTube policy.

A man with a similar name appeared in Surrey Provincial Court on Monday on charges of sexual assault and sexual interference of a person under age 16 connected to an incident in Surrey on Aug. 1.

The man told CTV-News he was unfairly targeted by Anonymous. The man said he was friends with Todd online, but did not bully her.

Police also are warning against vigilantism and assure the public the information released by Anonymous is being investigated.

New Westminster police Sgt. Diana McDaniel said the address posted online has been checked.

“Those residents have nothing to do with Amanda Todd,” said McDaniel.

“The connection to New Westminster is false from what we can tell.”

New West police went to the home soon after the information was released and continue to monitor it.

Anonymous is a loosely associated international group with the aim to expose “government and establishment hypocrisy.” Notably, the group launched attacks against the websites of MasterCard and Visa, highlighting their refusal to accept donations bound for WikiLeaks.