By now you’ve probably heard about the Reddit troll “Violentacrez” who was revealed by Gawker last week as 49-year-old software programmer Michael Brutsch. Brutsch was the creator of such Reddit subforums as “Rapebait,” “Incest,” and “Pics of Dead Kids.”
This is an interesting, yet disgusting, twist on the oft-spoke warning to watch what you say on the web. In this Career Management blog, we’ve warned about pictures you post, and we’ve warned about misusing social media in the line of work. But this is a story that warns against thinking that you can ever really be anonymous on the web.
Brutsch has lost his job as a result of his activities on Reddit. In an interview with CNN, he acted as though Reddit itself was responsible for his actions since subforum popularity was encouraged. Of course, this is ridiculous, but what are you going to do with someone who thinks it’s OK to post pictures of dead children?
