Online sexual-assault list should make us all scared

Article here. Excerpt:

'In our digital world where there’s an app for just about everything, it should come as no surprise that vigilante justice is finding platforms. Case in point: a University of Washington student-run website called “Make Them Scared.”

“Do you know the name of someone who has committed sexual assault or harassment? We are collecting names for the world to see.” The invitation circulated via flier around the Seattle campus at the beginning of this fall’s quarter.

The purpose of publishing rape allegations online is twofold: To alert potential victims for the sake of safety and to punish alleged perpetrators by making their misdeeds public.

But websites like this cross a dangerous line. Online shaming platforms are a cheap substitute for fair, thorough criminal proceedings.'